Everyday talk is often treated as casual chatter, yet it plays a crucial role in how people acquire and share knowledge. Typically, cybersecurity practices are informed by formal training, but they often overlook the impact of social exchanges. This paper investigates how informal conversations can act as a socio-technical mechanism for shaping cybersecurity awareness and practices. We conducted an online survey (N=215) where participants described recent discussions about cybersecurity, including who was involved, where they took place, and what triggered them. Quantitative and thematic analysis revealed common contexts, social settings, and topics. Most conversations occurred spontaneously in private environments, with personal experiences being the most frequent trigger. We contribute empirical insights on informal security conversations to inform the design of human-centered technologies that surface and mediate security-related discussions in everyday contexts, to ensure implicit and continuous security awareness.

Public Security User Interfaces (PSUIs) are a relative new approach to increasing cybersecurity awareness and promoting secure behavior in public and semi-public spaces. Unlike traditional methods such as emails or mobile apps, PSUIs use dynamic content and interactive elements to engage users in real time and promote proactive security measures. This paper explores the design and implementation of a previously introduced concept of PSUIs through a use case, driving awareness and adoption of password managers. Drawing insights from a pilot study (N=5) and a main study (N=25), we identify a set of implications for designing PSUIs that prioritize engagement strategies, actionable outcomes, accessibility and inclusivity, and normalizing mistakes. Key challenges include content adaptation, audience dynamics, and privacy. By bridging the gap between public engagement and cybersecurity education, this work lays the foundation for future research and practical implementation of PSUIs as a tool to foster secure digital habits.

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