Security Awareness and Security Behaviors of College Students: Basic Security Controls and E-mail Security

摘要

Knowledge of the level of security awareness and behavior of users is vital for providing appropriate awareness training. This exploratory study attempts to assess the security awareness level and behaviors of college students in various areas, including passwords, basic security controls, and e-mail security by surveying 112 students who are taking an introductory computer technology course. Overall, students' security awareness level is high except in a few areas such as, strong passwords, phishing, and incident response. Furthermore, students' security behavior regarding security control measures such as anti-virus and anti-spyware is not satisfactory. These results can help in planning and developing security awareness and training programs that promote a security culture in students while encouraging them to act responsibly and securely when operating personal, business and public computer and information systems.