Importance of Conducting Cyber Security Awareness Sessions among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Aim: In this digital era, a person's day begins with digital devices such as digital watches or smartphones. Cyber security is one of the major concerns in this era. Every device is connected, and hence, it is one of the reasons for most of the data security issues. The aim of this paper is to find out if it is necessary to conduct cybersecurity awareness sessions among students of different fields of study. Methodology: To answer this question, a survey is conducted using the questionnaires and respondents are students from three different fields of study: Creative Computing, Business and Management and Psychology at BSU Academic Center, RAK, UAE. The data collected from 141 respondents was well analyzed. Findings: : The findings show a significant difference between the responses of three fields of study. The students of Creative computing are well aware of cyber security terminologies compared to students from other fields of study. Implications/Novel Contribution: The students can be guided with appropriate cyber laws to understand the importance of data security. In the future, cyber security awareness could be created among students by conducting seminars and workshops. INTRODUCTION Cyber Security is one of the most important factors in this Digital era. Since 2020, there has been tremendous growth in the usage of electronic devices. As per the statista report Statista (2022), there are more than 5 million internet users, which is approximately 63.1 % of the total world population. After the pandemic 2019, most of the tasks are accomplished digitally, and every sector is dependent on technology. The benefits of this new trend in technology range from providing instant access to data on the cloud to the more advanced automation-based services using IoT. Every new trend has some potential threats and could lead to great loss if you are unaware of its consequences. Cybercrimes are increasing rapidly, and this is one of the reasons to have a basic knowledge of Cybersecurity. The term cyber-attack is heard every other day in the media. Due to the rapid rise of electronic device usage in most of the sectors like Healthcare, Education, Industry, Farming, and many more, and with the advancement of IoT in most of the sectors, there is a huge risk of creating a target-rich environment for hackers and the cyber threats are always close at hand. The study by NortonLifeLock (2022) found that 72% of parents of children under 18 say their children have used their mobile devices without their permission. The study also revealed that 27% of children clicked suspicious links, 24% of children shared their personal information, and 25% of children viewed mature content. It is more important now than before to create cyber security awareness in children.