What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to understand how cybersecurity knowledge affects organizational sustainability through the lens of perceived risk and behavior.

March 26, 2026Open Access

Cybersecurity knowledge and project sustainability: The moderated-moderation effect of perceived risk and risk behavior

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Cybersecurity knowledge of threats enhances organizational sustainability most strongly when employees accurately perceive cyber threats and respond with appropriate protective actions. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Key Points

This research aims to understand how cybersecurity knowledge affects organizational sustainability through the lens of perceived risk and behavior.
Survey data collected from 235 project management staff in UK organizations
Utilized structural equation modeling for analysis
Explored interactions between cybersecurity knowledge, perceived risk, and risk behavior
Found a significant three-way interaction among cybersecurity knowledge, perceived risk, and risk behavior
Indicated that cybersecurity knowledge significantly enhances organizational sustainability when perceived risk and risk behavior are high

Abstract

Cybersecurity threats have become a structural risk to digital project management, challenging not only digital data integrity but also long-term organizational sustainability. While prior research has emphasized awareness and technical safeguards, limited attention has been given to the behavioral–cognitive mechanisms through which cybersecurity knowledge translates into sustainable organizational outcomes. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examines the moderated-moderation effect of Perceived Risk (PR) and Risk of Behavior (RB) on the relationship between Cybersecurity Knowledge of Threats (CKT) and Organizational Sustainability (OS). Using survey data collected from 235 project management staff across UK organizations, the results of structural equation modeling reveal a significant three-way interaction (CKT × PR × RB). The findings indicate that CKT enhances OS most strongly when both PR and RB are high, suggesting that knowledge translates into sustainability only when employees accurately perceive cyber threats and respond with appropriate protective actions. This joint amplification effect uncovers a previously underexplored mechanism linking individual-level cognition to macro-level organizational resilience.

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