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Students’ Cybersecurity Awareness at a Private Tertiary Educational Institution
- Source :
- The African Journal of Information and Communication, Iss 20, Pp 133-155 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- LINK Centre, School of Literature Language and Media (SLLM), 2017.
-
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.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20777205 and 20777213
- Issue :
- 20
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- The African Journal of Information and Communication
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.37b2dff0db1c4db3a8b336baeea7444f
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/23572