Assessment of Cybersecurity Awareness among Students of Majmaah University

TLDR

Rapid technological advances have accelerated information exchange, making data more accessible while simultaneously giving rise to new cybersecurity threats that jeopardize privacy, especially for students who often engage in breaches due to limited awareness. This study assessed undergraduate students’ cybersecurity awareness and compliance at Majmaah University through a structured questionnaire. Using quantitative methods, the authors applied ANOVA, KMO, and Bartlett tests to analyze responses regarding email security, viruses, phishing, and other online threats. The results led to actionable recommendations aimed at improving student education and reducing cyber incidents.

Abstract

Information exchange has become increasingly faster and efficient through the use of recent technological advances, such as instant messaging and social media platforms. Consequently, access to information has become easier. However, new types of cybersecurity threats that typically result in data loss and information misuse have emerged simultaneously. Therefore, maintaining data privacy in complex systems is important and necessary, particularly in organizations where the vast majority of individuals interacting with these systems is students. In most cases, students engage in data breaches and digital misconduct due to the lack of knowledge and awareness of cybersecurity and the consequences of cybercrime. The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate the level of cybersecurity awareness and user compliance among undergraduate students at Majmaah University using a scientific questionnaire based on several safety factors for the use of the Internet. We quantitatively evaluated the knowledge of cybercrime and protection among students to show the need for user education, training, and awareness. In this study, we used a quantitative research methodology and conducted different statistical tests, such as ANOVA, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO), and Bartlett’s tests, to evaluate and analyze the hypotheses. Safety concerns for electronic emails, computer viruses, phishing, forged ads, popup windows, and supplementary outbreaks on the Internet were well-examined in this study. Finally, we present recommendations based on the collected data to deal with this common problem.