Patterns
- Active Warnings
- Attractive Options
- Complete Delete
- Conveying Threats & Consequences
- Create a Security Lexicon
- Create Keys When Needed
- Delayed Unrecoverable Action
- Detailed Notifications About Security
- Direct Access to UI Components
- Disable by Default
- Disable of Services
- Disclose Significant Deviations
- Distinguish Between Run and Open
- Distinguish Internal Senders
- Distinguish Security Levels
- Email-Based Identification and Authentication
- Explicit Item Delete
- Explicit User Audit
- Failing Safely
- General Notifications About Security
- Immediate Notifications
- Immediate Options
- Indirect Access to UI Components
- Informative Dialogues
- Install Before Execute
- Key Continuity Management
- Levels of Severity
- Leverage Existing Identification
- Localization of Specific Areas
- Migrate and Backup Keys
- Noticeable Contextual Indicators
- Providing Recommendations
- Quick Description of UI Components
- Redundant Notifications
- Reset to Installation
- Restricted Areas Notification
- Security Features Used by the System
- Security Features Used by the User
- Send S/MIME-Signed Email
- Separating Content
- Sequential Access to UI Components
- Suggestive Dialogues
- System’s Security Tasks
- The Absence of Indicators
- Track Received Keys
- Track Recipients
- Warn When Unsafe
Patterns are based on scientific sources.
Usable Security Pattern - Delayed Unrecoverable Action
Luigi Lo Iacono, Peter Nehren
January 18, 2016
Delayed Unrecoverable Action
| Name | Delayed Unrecoverable Action |
| Sources | (Garfinkel, 2005), (Cooper, 2004), (Norman, 1983) |
| Synonyms | None |
| Context | Although confirmation boxes allow users to recover from typos or accidentally-clicked buttons, they are significantly less effective in protecting against errors that are the result of intentional but mistaken actions. |
| Problem | How to prevent users executing unrecoverable actions accidentally? |
| Solution | Give users a chance to change their minds after executing an unrecoverable action. |
| Examples | Putting physical trash in the kitchen trash can, and taking the trash can out to the curb the following day. Some operating systems institute a “countdown” after reboot is triggered, during which time the reboot can be aborted.  Source: (Garfinkel, 2005) |
| Implementation | When the user chooses an unrecoverable action, the action is scheduled to take place at some point in the future—for example, in 5 minutes, or at 5pm. The action can be terminated before the execution time arrives. Another control allows a scheduled action to be executed immediately. |
| Consequences | The user has a chance to change his or her mind after committing an error. |
| Dependencies | None |
| Relationships | [Complete Delete] |
| Principles | [Revocability] |
| Guidelines | None |
| Check lists | None |
| Use cases | None |
| Tags | Unrecoverable Action, Complete Delete |
| Log history | [01/18/2016]: Added to repository |
References
Cooper, A., 2004. The inmates are running the asylum: Why high-tech products drive us crazy and how to restore the sanity, 2nd ed. ed. Que, Indianapolis, IN.
Garfinkel, S.L., 2005. Design principles and patterns for computer systems that are simultaneously secure and usable (PhD thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Norman, D.A., 1983. Design rules based on analyses of human error. Commun. ACM 26, 254–258. doi:10.1145/2163.358092