Title:	EXPLORING ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES FOR SECURITY TECHNOLOGY: A CROSS-CULTURAL SURVEY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Author(s):	Sunil Chaudhary, Yan Zhao, Eleni Berki, Juri Valtanen, Linfeng Li, Marko Helenius, Stylianos Mystakidis, Thrushna Nalam, Rajendra Bahadur Thapa
ISBN:	978-989-8533-41-8
Editors:	Piet Kommers and Guo Chao Peng
Year:	2015
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Online security/privacy, Phishing, Adult/higher education, National culture, Formal/Informal learning, Pilot survey
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	11
Last Page:	18
Language:	English
Cover:
Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	Social engineering is the most prevalent scheme used for online attacks and identity theft. Security-related courses have been increased worldwide. Emphasis is put on online identity theft (phishing) and social awareness. In this paper the authors investigate the attitudes, knowledge and competencies of future IT professionals of different countries. Data was collected through a questionnaire from international students in Computing and related disciplines. The collected data revealed that (i) students are not free of security misconceptions, which security education is called upon to address and (ii) courses about security in higher education can be part of an effective strategy for increasing social awareness on privacy protection and online security. Further, the pilot survey revealed that two more issues need to be considered: (a) cultural dimension, especially, national culture and (b) teaching methodology and learning environment used for security education. The authors outline needs and strategic steps to be taken in adult education for timely privacy protection and citizens’ security. This knowledge will be useful for curricula design and formal/informal adult learning practices by which security education can be more interesting in the learning process and effective regarding the learning outcomes.
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