DESIGNING A FRAMEWORK FOR CYBER PROTECTION BASED ON UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION TO IMPROVE THE SECURITY OF ETHIOPIAN SOCIAL MEDIA USERS OVER FACEBOOK

Abstract

The social media like Facebook is one of the prominent having 2.6 billion monthly active users. However, Facebook users pose different security threats by impersonation and spreading untrue information. Nowadays, there are numerous threats to social media such as Facebook in Ethiopia. Due to this problem, it is significant to design remedial solutions for such problems. This research study aims to establish a Unique-ID-based Cyber Defense Framework to enhance the security of Facebook users and inhibit the creation of fake profiles and impersonation by spammers. The researcher followed an exploratory with a constructive research design using surveys, and in-depth interview-based primary data analytics. The study concluded with a Unique-ID-based Cyber Defense Framework consisting of application and security layers with various critical components. In the proposed system, the Digital Residential ID issued for Addis Ababa residents is used to cross-check the user-provided data with the resident DB to check the authenticity of the user based on the country code. After that, a framework and its prototype are developed. The result of user acceptance test shows an optimistic answer i.e., 87% of respondents accepted the research outcomes as a positive contribution. On the other hand, 13% still have a dilemma to accept a new and innovative contribution for an enhanced Unique-ID-based Cyber defense system to improve the security of Facebook users. The study concluded by noticing every time a user attempts to create a Facebook account, the user will be asked to confirm his/her uniqueness. Also, they could be prohibited from establishing fake or multiple accounts. Keywords: Country code, Cyber defense Facebook, Fake profile, Impersonation, Security Threat, Unique Id