Students’ Cybersecurity Awareness at a Private Tertiary Educational Institution
Date
2017-12-23
Authors
Chandarman, Rajesh
Van Niekerk, Brett
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Abstract
Internet-based attacks have become prevalent and are expected to increase as
technology ubiquity increases. Consequently, cybersecurity has emerged as an
essential concept in everyday life. Cybersecurity awareness (CSA) is a key defence in
the protection of people and systems. The research presented in this article aimed to
assess the levels of CSA among students at a private tertiary education institution in
South Africa. A questionnaire tested students in terms of four variables: cybersecurity
knowledge; self-perception of cybersecurity skills, actual cybersecurity skills and
behaviour; and cybersecurity attitudes. The responses revealed several misalignments,
including instances of “cognitive dissonance” between variables, which make the
students potentially vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The findings demonstrate the
need for targeted CSA campaigns that address the specific weaknesses of particular
populations of users.
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Citation
Chandarman, R., & Van Niekerk, B. (2017). Students’ cybersecurity awareness at a private tertiary educational institution. The African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC), 20, 133-155. https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/23572