Cyber Security Awareness, Knowledge and Behavior: A Comparative Study

TLDR

Cyber-attacks threaten information security, and rising data usage and internet consumption make cyber awareness increasingly urgent. This study examines the relationships among cyber security awareness, knowledge, and protective behavior across individuals in Israel, Slovenia, Poland, and Turkey. The authors surveyed internet users to assess awareness, knowledge, and use of protection tools, comparing responses across the four countries. Results indicate that users have adequate threat awareness but employ only minimal protective measures; higher knowledge correlates with greater awareness regardless of country or gender, awareness links to tool use but not disclosure willingness, and country differences influence the awareness–knowledge–behavior interaction, informing recommendations for effective cyber security training.

Abstract

Cyber-attacks represent a potential threat to information security. As rates of data usage and internet consumption continue to increase, cyber awareness turned to be increasingly urgent. This study focuses on the relationships between cyber security awareness, knowledge and behavior with protection tools among individuals in general and across four countries: Israel, Slovenia, Poland and Turkey in particular. Results show that internet users possess adequate cyber threat awareness but apply only minimal protective measures usually relatively common and simple ones. The study findings also show that higher cyber knowledge is connected to the level of cyber awareness, beyond the differences in respondent country or gender. In addition, awareness is also connected to protection tools, but not to information they were willing to disclose. Lastly, findings exhibit differences between the explored countries that affect the interaction between awareness, knowledge, and behaviors. Results, implications, and recommendations for effective based cyber security training programs are presented and discussed.