Cybersecurity Awareness Programs Research Articles

Exploring theoretical constructs of cybersecurity awareness and training programs: comparative analysis of African and U.S. Initiatives

This review paper presents a comparative analysis of theoretical constructs underpinning cybersecurity awareness and training programs in Africa and the U.S. By examining these initiatives' design, delivery, and outcomes. The paper highlights how different educational theories—behaviourist, cognitive, and constructivist—are adapted to suit thetwo regions' diverse cultural and economic contexts. The analysis reveals significant variations in program effectiveness, driven by factors such as digital literacy levels, technological infrastructure, and localized cyber threats. Recommendations for policymakers and practitioners emphasize the need for tailored, context-sensitive approaches to enhance cybersecurity education globally. The study underscores the importance of continuous adaptation and cross-regional collaboration in developing effective cybersecurity awareness and training programs to address the evolving landscape of cyber threats. Keywords: Cybersecurity Awareness, Training Programs, Comparative Analysis, Educational Theories, Cultural Adaptation, Digital Literacy.

Bridging knowledge gap: the contribution of employees’ awareness of AI cyber risks comprehensive program to reducing emerging AI digital threats

Purpose In the modern digital realm, while artificial intelligence (AI) technologies pave the way for unprecedented opportunities, they also give rise to intricate cybersecurity issues, including threats like deepfakes and unanticipated AI-induced risks. This study aims to address the insufficient exploration of AI cybersecurity awareness in the current literature. Design/methodology/approach Using in-depth surveys across varied sectors (N = 150), the authors analyzed the correlation between the absence of AI risk content in organizational cybersecurity awareness programs and its impact on employee awareness. Findings A significant AI-risk knowledge void was observed among users: despite frequent interaction with AI tools, a majority remain unaware of specialized AI threats. A pronounced knowledge difference existed between those that are trained in AI risks and those who are not, more apparent among non-technical personnel and sectors managing sensitive information. Research limitations/implications This study paves the way for thorough research, allowing for refinement of awareness initiatives tailored to distinct industries. Practical implications It is imperative for organizations to emphasize AI risk training, especially among non-technical staff. Industries handling sensitive data should be at the forefront. Social implications Ensuring employees are aware of AI-related threats can lead to a safer digital environment for both organizations and society at large, given the pervasive nature of AI in everyday life. Originality/value Unlike most of the papers about AI risks, the authors do not trust subjective data from second hand papers, but use objective authentic data from the authors’ own up-to-date anonymous survey.

Digital resilience framework for managing crisis: A qualitative study in the higher education and research sector

AbstractAustralia's Higher Education and Research Sector (HERS) must adopt digital resilience strategies to tackle cybersecurity challenges and manage major crises effectively. In this study, we have developed a digital resilience framework to mitigate these cybersecurity issues. Our findings suggest a range of keystone factors for crisis management, such as implementing cybersecurity awareness programmes, providing cyber support, redefining roles and responsibilities, implying risk management tools, partnerships with external security organizations, introducing policies, reconfiguring technologies, adopting new technologies, and evaluating current changes to combat these issues. These keystone factors will help achieve digital resilience and significantly minimize cybersecurity issues in HERS, not only during the current major crisis but also in the future. This research offers valuable theoretical and practical contributions that can be applied beyond the context of the recent crisis.

CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS: A REVIEW OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

As organizations continue to grapple with the escalating threat landscape of cyber-attacks, the imperative to fortify their cybersecurity defenses becomes increasingly paramount. This review delves into the critical realm of cybersecurity awareness and education programs, focusing on the pivotal factors of employee engagement and accountability. The effectiveness of these programs in cultivating a cyber-resilient workforce is scrutinized through an extensive examination of existing literature, empirical studies, and industry practices. The review begins by exploring the foundational elements of cybersecurity awareness programs, elucidating the significance of imparting knowledge and instilling a culture of vigilance among employees. It examines the diverse methodologies employed in these programs, ranging from interactive workshops and simulated phishing exercises to online modules and gamified learning platforms. A comparative analysis of these approaches sheds light on their respective strengths and limitations. A central theme of this review revolves around the nexus between employee engagement and cybersecurity resilience. It delves into the psychological and behavioral aspects of engagement, assessing how motivational factors and tailored learning experiences contribute to heightened cybersecurity awareness. The impact of organizational culture and leadership support on fostering a sense of responsibility among employees is also explored, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that transcends mere compliance. Furthermore, the review investigates the role of accountability in sustaining the efficacy of cybersecurity initiatives. It examines the mechanisms employed by organizations to enforce adherence to security policies and protocols, emphasizing the role of robust monitoring systems, clear communication channels, and consequence management. Case studies and real-world examples are integrated to illustrate instances of successful accountability frameworks and their influence on overall cybersecurity posture. This review synthesizes key findings and identifies emerging trends in cybersecurity awareness and education programs, with a particular focus on optimizing employee engagement and fostering a culture of accountability. The insights gleaned from this analysis provide a roadmap for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses against evolving cyber threats by cultivating a vigilant and proactive workforce.
 Keywords: Cybersecurity, Education, Cyber threat, Employee engagement, Accountability.

Cyberbullying Prevalence at a Rural Based University in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Defences within the digital space against cybersecurity include detection, prevention and response to threats using software tools, however, there no significant technology-based defence systems that deal with cyberbullying related threats. A lack of cybersecurity defence systems and limited cybersecuriy awareness may expose students to cyberbullying and students are likely to suffer, resulting in effects such as psychological and emotional abuse that may eventually contribute towards high drop-outs rates. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying among students at a public university based in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This research study followed a mixed method approach and a thematic analysis guided by the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) theoretical framework. The study found strong cyberbullying penetration within the student community under investigation. As part of the study findings, it was found that activities such as cybersecurity awareness programmes may mitigate the impact of cyberbullying on students and such interventions should form part of any higher education institution’s responsibility.

Cybersecurity Awareness on Cybercrime Among the Youth in Gauteng Province

The increased independence on Internet has raised growing concerns that cyber security is becoming difficult to maintain. Not only do businesses depend on the internet for all types of electronic transactions, but home users increasingly also experience the immense benefit of the internet especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyber security awareness and education are central to any attempt to secure cyber space. In the education system, youth must be made aware of the possible attacks and types of intruders. The rapid growth in the use of cyber space is not matched by the necessary skills. Therefore, there is a need for broad-based education initiatives on Internet safety and security to tackle the issues of child protection and social security in general. Cyber security and awareness become a vital issue because promoting awareness would contribute greatly towards cyber security as a whole. An interpretive research approach was adopted using a qualitative research method. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 participants, eight from the SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit. Five participants from Crime Intelligence Unit, which constituted of males, participated in this study and for the youth, the first author interviewed 29 participants, which consisted of 17 female and 12 male participants who were between the ages of 19 to 35 years. The findings indicated that there are currently no existing initiatives in the field of policing cybercrime in South Africa. There are currently no cyber security awareness programmes or preventive techniques by the SAPS targeting the youth. South Africa is still lacking behind in the strategy development regarding cybercrime and cyber security.

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

PurposeDue to the lack of awareness and poor cybersecurity practices that pose cyber threats during COVID-19 time, this research aims to explore user's attitude toward engaging in proactive cybersecurity awareness behavior.Design/methodology/approachBased on the theory of planned behavior, the relationship between multiple factors and their influence on the attitude is explored. A survey-based approach was utilized to collect responses and a model was proposed and tested on 229 respondents from the University of Petra-Jordan.FindingsThe attitude was significantly influenced by peers' influence and the individuals' cybersecurity threats awareness, especially threats that emerged during the COVID-19 time.Research limitations/implicationsThe research benefits decision makers in educational institutions who intend to develop cybersecurity awareness programs and helps them to assess user cybersecurity background weaknesses.Originality/valueThe research is the first to explore users' knowledge dimensions including organizational, information systems and social media as well as peers' influence on cybersecurity awareness. Also, it sheds light on the users’ perception of major cybersecurity hazards in COVID-19 time.

Pentingnya Kewaspadaan Berinternet untuk Kesehatan Mental Anak dan Remaja

Abstract: Purpose: To describe the ways in increasing the internet awareness for the mental health of the children and adolescent. Methodology/approach: It is a narrative literature review. Articles were taken from the Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion criteria are review and research articles. The excluded articles that were not peer-reviewed and unavailable full-text paper. Articles were read twice to reduce the bias. The selected articles were summarized and narrated descriptively. Results/findings: Results revealed that cybersecurity awareness can be increased by digital literacy training. Children should be taught how to avoid risky online behaviour to increase the mental health of the children. The cybersecurity awareness program is good to be given to children in avoiding phishing, pornography, cyberbullying, identity theft, and breaking to privacy. Children must be taught how to keep their passwords safe and private. They also need to be more cautious when playing online games. Limitations: It is a narrative literature review, the result is not as accurate as a study. Contribution: The contribution is the digital literation and cyber security program can be taught to the children to keep the good mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and the time beyond. Keywords: 1. adolescent 2. children 3. internet awareness 4. digital literacy

Upaya Membangun Kesadaran Keamanan Siber pada Konsumen E-commerce di Indonesia

Upaya Membangun Kesadaran Keamanan Siber pada Konsumen E-commerce di Indonesia

THE IMPORTANCE OF CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS FOR CHILDREN

Online school during the COVID-19 pandemic makes the children prone to cyberattacks and malware. Therefore, cybersecurity awareness among children is critical. Online games and stories caused children to neglect their studying time. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the importance of cybersecurity awareness among children. Analyses were performed by using a literature review. Inclusion criteria are review and research articles. Inclusion criteria are review and research articles that were read twice to reduce the bias, then were summarized and narrated descriptively. Results revealed that cybersecurity awareness could be increased by digital literacy training. Children should be taught how to avoid risky behavior online. The cybersecurity awareness program is suitable for children to avoid phishing, pornography, cyberbullying, identity theft, and breaking of privacy. Children must be taught how to keep their passwords safe and private. They also need to be more cautious when playing online games. In conclusion, digital literacy and cybersecurity programs can be taught to children. These programs are suitable for raising cybersecurity among children.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS FOR CHILDREN

Online school during the COVID-19 pandemic makes the children prone to cyberattacks and malware. Therefore, cybersecurity awareness among children is critical. Online games and stories caused children to neglect their studying time. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the importance of cybersecurity awareness among children. Analyses were performed by using a literature review. Inclusion criteria are review and research articles. Inclusion criteria are review and research articles that were read twice to reduce the bias, then were summarized and narrated descriptively. Results revealed that cybersecurity awareness could be increased by digital literacy training. Children should be taught how to avoid risky behavior online. The cybersecurity awareness program is suitable for children to avoid phishing, pornography, cyberbullying, identity theft, and breaking of privacy. Children must be taught how to keep their passwords safe and private. They also need to be more cautious when playing online games. In conclusion, digital literacy and cybersecurity programs can be taught to children. These programs are suitable for raising cybersecurity among children.

An Ontological Model for a National Cyber-attack Response in South Africa

South Africa is increasingly targeted by cyber criminals and is often ranked under the top five countries suffering the most cyber-attacks. In an initiative to counter these attacks, the South African government has initiated various measures such as a National Cybersecurity Policy Framework Policy (NCPF) and a Cybercrimes Act. However, the structures and policies that follow from these measures have not been fully implemented yet. Although the government published the NCPF in 2015 and enacted the Cybercrimes Act in May 2021, there is still a gap in terms of interoperability and shared understanding within the environment. In addition, numerous new structures have been established and others are still being planned. One example of a new structure is the Cybersecurity Hub, the national CSIRT, which is mandated to co-ordinate attack information and provide support for cyber incidents. In addition, the Hub must also implement a national Cybersecurity Awareness program.
 This paper presents a model for the Cybersecurity Hub in the event of a cyber incident in South Africa. The model is based on different attack scenarios and depicts the complex interoperability problem of the various roles, responsibilities, and interactions of role players when there is a cyber incident. One of the scenarios is an attack on critical infrastructure. The model is a prototype of a semantic knowledge base (an ontology) that will help with planning and decision making. Core queries that should be answered concern the critical role players during and after a cyber event; the communication activities that have to take place; and the response actions and the skills required to handle the event.

Developing metrics to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity awareness program

Abstract Cybersecurity awareness (CSA) is not just about knowing, but also transforming things learned into practice. It is a continuous process that needs to be adjusted in subsequent iterations to improve its usability as well as sustainability. This is possible only if a CSA program is reviewed and evaluated timely. Review and evaluation of an awareness program offer an insight into the program's effectiveness on the audience and organization, an invaluable piece of information for the continuous improvement of the program. Further, it provides the information required by the management and sponsor to decide on whether to invest in the program or not. Despite these advantages, there does not exist a common understanding of what factors to measure and how to measure them during the evaluation process. As a result, we have proposed evaluation metrics for the purpose. In order to do so, we performed a literature review of 32 papers mainly to extract the following data: (i) what factors did the paper measure, and (ii) how did it measure the factors? Next, we adapted the European Literacy Policy Network's four indicators (i.e. impact, sustainability, accessibility, and monitoring) for awareness evaluation to make it appropriate for evaluating a CSA program. We believe that measuring all four indicators will contribute to making the evaluation process systematic, complete, and replicable. More importantly, it will help to produce more inclusive, accurate, and usable results for the future enhancement of the program.

Anti-Phishing Awareness Delivery Methods

Phishing attacks are increasingly exploited by cybercriminals, they become more sophisticated and evade detection even by advanced technical countermeasures. With cybercriminals resorting to more sophisticated phishing techniques, strategies, and different channels such as social networks, phishing is becoming a hard problem to solve. Therefore, the main objective for any anti-phishing solution is to minimize phishing success and its consequences through complementary means to advanced technical countermeasures. Specifically, phishing threats cannot be controlled by technical controls alone, thus it is imperative to complement cybersecurity programs with cybersecurity awareness programs to successfully fight against phishing attacks. This paper provides a review of the delivery methods of cybersecurity training programs used to enhance personnel security awareness and behavior in terms of phishing threats. Although there are a wide variety of educational intervention methods against phishing, the differences between the cybersecurity awareness delivery methods are not always clear. To this end, we present a review of the most common methods of workforce cybersecurity training methods in order for them to be able to protect themselves from phishing threats.

Avoidance of Cybersecurity Threats with the Deployment of a Web-Based Blockchain-Enabled Cybersecurity Awareness System

Modern information technology (IT) is well developed, and almost everyone uses the features of IT and services within the Internet. However, people are being affected due to cybersecurity threats. People can adhere to the recommended cybersecurity guidelines, rules, adopted standards, and cybercrime preventive measures to largely mitigate these threats. The ignorance of or lack of cybersecurity knowledge also causes a critical problem regarding confidentiality and privacy. It is not possible to fully avoid cybercrimes that often lead to sufficient business losses and spread forbidden themes (disgust, extremism, child porn, etc.). Therefore, to reduce the risk of cybercrimes, a web-based Blockchain-enabled cybersecurity awareness program (WBCA) process is introduced in this paper. The proposed WBCA trains users to improve their security skills. The proposed program helps with understanding the common behaviors of cybercriminals and improves user knowledge of cybersecurity hygiene, best cybersecurity practices, modern cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and trends. Furthermore, the proposed WBCA uses Blockchain technology to protect the program from potential threats. The proposed program is validated and tested using real-world cybersecurity topics with real users and cybersecurity experts. We anticipate that the proposed program can be extended to other domains, such as national or corporate courses, to increase the cybersecurity awareness level of users. A CentOS-based virtual private server is deployed for testing the proposed WBCA to determine its effectiveness. Finally, WBCA is also compared with other state-of-the-art web-based programs designed for cybersecurity awareness.

Ransomware Attack: Rescue-checklist Cyber Security Awareness Program

Ransomware attacks have been spreading broadly in the last few years, where attackers deny users’ access to their systems and encrypt their files until they pay a ransom, usually in Bitcoin. Of course, that is the worst thing that can happen; especially for organizations having sensitive information. In this paper we proposed a cyber security awareness program intended to provide end-users with a rescue checklist in case of being attacked with a ransomware as well as preventing the attack and ways to recover from it. The program aimed at providing cyber security knowledge to 15 employees in a Sudanese trading and investment company. According to their cyber behaviour before the program, the participants showed a low level cyber security awareness that with 72% they are likely of being attacked by a ransomware from a phishing email, which is well known for spreading ransomware attacks. The results revealed that the cyber security awareness program greatly diminished the probability of being attacked by a ransomware with an average of 28%. This study can be used as a real-life ransomware attack rescue plan.

Why Do National Cybersecurity Awareness Programmes Often Fail?

Nowadays, many cyber users do not understand how to protect themselves and their information within cyber space. One reason is that cyber users are unaware of possible cyber risks and threats that may occur within cyber space. The second reason is that citizens, businesses and users within the public sector may be aware of relevant cyber risks but do not really understand the seriousness of such risks and the consequences if they do realise. Therefore, cybersecurity awareness campaigns are an integral part of improving cybersecurity awareness. Based on in-country reviews conducted as part of the Global Cybersecurity Capacity Centre (GCSCC) programme, we observed that the campaigns to raise cybersecurity awareness throughout the country are often led by different ‘owners’ without co-ordination and adequate resources therefore creating fragmentation in the national cybersecurity awareness raising programme. This paper suggests that the development of a coordinated and coherent national cybersecurity awareness program is critical for building a basic level of aware-ness at the national level. We will examine the requirements needed to develop a coordinated national awareness raising programme by reviewing the existing literature, best practice approaches and the role of different stakeholders such as the government, private sector and civil society. We will draw conclusions on the main obstacles to ensure overall coherence between the actions of stakeholders and the efforts countries should prioritise in order to increase awareness of cyber risks at the national level.

Cyber Security Awareness Among University Students: A Case Study

This Case Study reports the preliminary results of a quantitative survey aimed to identify students' awareness and enthusiasm to learn cybersecurity in Nigerian Universities. The objective of the survey was to see how students in this developing country are aware of cyber-attacks and how they can mitigate the attacks and to find out if cybersecurity awareness program is part of the University program. The preliminary results indicated that the students claimed to have basic cybersecurity knowledge, but are not aware of how to protect their data. It also appears that most Universities do not have an active cybersecurity awareness program to improve students' knowledge on how to protect themselves from any threats. The surveyed students also show interest in learning more about cybersecurity.

ENHANCEMENT OF CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS PROGRAM ON PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION AMONG YOUNGSTERS IN MALAYSIA: AN ASSESSMENT

Cybersecurity awareness program has been used as a medium to educate and make awareness among youngsters on personal data protection. However, it is still unclear the extent to which the effectiveness of this cybersecurity awareness program among youngsters require an assessment. This to ensure the current content of cybersecurity awareness program is consistently updated and aligned with current Internet usage among youngsters. Our assessment was systematically conducted using Kirkpatrick’s Four Learning Evaluation Model as conceptual framework; which consists of four phases of sequential assessment; Phase 1 –Reaction, Phase 2- Learning, Phase 3 – Behavior and Phase 4-Result. This study used mixed method research methodology in conducting the assessment and the instruments used in Phases 1 until 4 respectively were survey, pre-test and post-test survey, observation of web recording and focus group interview. The findings from this study revealed that youngsters do have positive reaction towards the program content, reported to have changes in terms of their knowledge and skills and practice of desired behavior on personal data protection. However, the undesired behavior also revealed practiced among youngsters and this suggest improvement required to the current module used to educate youngsters. The improvements include i) Decision making process in using personal data, ii) Management of online application iii)Management of online contents iv)Management of password and username. The result of this assessment is significant to the stakeholders in terms of providing insight into the effectiveness level of current module used to educate youngsters and assist them to decide better module.

An Effective Cybersecurity Training Model to Support an Organizational Awareness Program

Traditional cybersecurity, security or information security awareness programs have become ineffective to change people's behavior in recognizing, failing to block or reporting cyberthreats within their organizational environment. As a result, human errors and actions continue to demonstrate that we are the weakest links in cybersecurity. This article studies the most recent cybersecurity awareness programs and its attributes. Furthermore, the authors compiled recent awareness methodologies, frameworks and approaches. The authors introduce a suggested awareness training model to address existing deficiencies in awareness training. The Cybersecurity Awareness TRAining Model (CATRAM) has been designed to deliver training to different organizational audiences, each of these groups with specific content and separate objectives. The authors concluded their study by addressing the need of future research to target new approaches to keep cybersecurity awareness focused on the everchanging cyberthreat landscape.