Chandarman, RajeshVan Niekerk, Brett2017-12-232017-12-232017-12-23Chandarman, 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/10.23962/10539/23572ISSN 2077-7213 (online version)ISSN 2077-7205 (print version)http://hdl.handle.net/10539/23572https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/23572Internet-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.enArticle