The Awareness Behaviour of Students on Cyber Security Awareness by Using Social Media Platforms: A Case Study at Central University of Technology

Abstract

The internet is not a secure place because of limited regulations. The unawareness of users about threats that can face them in cyberspace, can cause the successful execution of such threats. Users should establish a culture of awareness before entering the workforce. Therefore, academic institutions should engage in the process to enhance cyber security awareness (CSA) among students. In order to communicate effectively on CSA, the medium of communication should be familiar to the user and the user has to engage with this medium on a regular basis.Students at a higher academic institution reveal that they engage with social media platforms at least once a week with Facebook and YouTube the most popular. They also use communication media like websites to pursue material about CSA.This study found that there is a lack among students to engage with CSA initiatives that are available. It is suggested that academic institutions can contribute to the awareness of students by providing CSA material on a regular basis to them. Institutions can make use of social media platforms (Facebook and YouTube) and also communication mediums (institutional website and e-mails) to communicate CSA material with the students.

Factors Affecting how University Students Comply with Cybersecurity Measures: A Case of South Africa

“…The students' perception affected their compliance with the cybersecurity measures. These findings are supported by literature, which states that when individuals are unaware of the threats that they face, they are more likely to engage in unsafe behaviour, without taking the necessary protective measures (Potgieter, 2019).…”

“…Another essential aspect to note is that a lack of cybersecurity awareness is not due to a lack of knowledge, but due instead to how students apply it in their daily lives (Moallem, 2019). Studies on the behaviour of students with cybersecurity reveal that engagement with cybersecurity issues was not satisfactory, where, if students were more aware of cybersecurity, some of these threats would be eliminated (Potgieter, 2019).…”

“…User behaviour is crucial to mitigating and preventing cybersecurity issues (Taha & Dahabiyeh, 2021). When people are unaware that they are at risk, they often fail to recognise the attacks (Potgieter, 2019). Thus, students need to understand and be aware of cybersecurity threats and how to mitigate them (Potgieter, 2019).…”

The role of Internet security awareness as a moderating variable on cyber security perception: Learning management system as a case study

“…However, since LMSs are dependent on Internet services, concerns regarding using the Internet should be adequately addressed. Many view the Internet as a non-secure place due to the lack of rules and official regulations as well as the low level of user awareness, including college-level students (Potgieter, 2019). Therefore, this study will concentrate on some influential factors that are related to Internet use concerns that impact students' attitudes towards adopting and using LMSs.…”

Engaging in cybersecurity proactive behavior: awareness in COVID-19 age

“…It is noticed that data breaches have stimulated flaws in social media platforms that could be exploited by perpetrators to perform phishing attacks, spoofing accounts, identity theft, or other threats. Accordingly, these platforms should implement mechanisms to mitigate these threats such as providing security policies, site monitoring and educating users (Potgieter, 2019;Singh et al, 2020). The extensive usage of social media among college students sheds the light on multiple benefits and threats.…”