Abstract
At a time like this when knowledge and information is considered power, and a lot of people rely on the various channels of knowledge and information, typically via the internet and other forms of media, the threat to the personal security of these individuals would normally be on the rise. Cyber security is one of the most often overlooked forms of security because people tend to focus a lot on physical security and other forms of threat. Being aware of the various threats in the cyber space, which is basically a dimension where millions, if not billions of people spend their time every day, checking their electronic mails, updating their social media accounts, and doing all forms of business on the internet or cyber world. The objective of this paper was to investigate on the people in a control group’s perception and awareness level of cybercrime and other issues related to cyber security. The proposed method how this objective could be done would be through the use of a 30-item questionnaire, which would be administered as a surveying tool.
Research Question
“A Review on People’s Awareness on Cyber Crime and Cyber Security-related Issues”
Significance of the Research
The internet is one of the most commonly used tools in the world today. Millions, if not billions of people log on to their electronic mails for a multitude of purposes; to their social media accounts to socialize, and for whatever reasons. A normal individual typically spends hours in front of the computer, surfing the cyberspace for various forms of information. Overall, the internet can be considered a very useful tool, especially for communication and information-seeking purposes. However, just like in this physical world, there are threats that could prevent the users from benefiting from this very useful tool . The truth is that even though millions of people already know how to use and navigate through the internet, majority of these people do not really know how sophisticated the technology involved in running and maintaining this huge a space is. Some of the cyber security threats that could make the internet more of a menace than a very useful tool include the presence of viruses, web-jacking activities, identity thievery, scams, fraudulent activities, and other unethical and illegal activities . These cyber security threats have been present to the point that they news of cyber-attacks and breaches continue to flood social media sites every day. One of the best proposed ways to stop the proliferation of cyber security-compromising activities is to educate the people and making them aware of the various threats that could impair their experience and could lead to problems (e.g. in the case of identity thief victims). Unfortunately, according to literatures, not a lot of people are educated enough about the presence of these threats. Some internet users even think of the cyber-world as a sugar coated place where virtually everything can be done. It certainly is not and the sad thing is that many people still continue to operate under this assumption. The first step in preventing the occurrence of cybercrimes is to educate the people and a good start to achieve that mission would be to determine how educated or aware people who use the internet of the various threats such as the ones mentioned earlier are.
Data Gathering Procedure
The review will focus on the extraction of academic journals which can either be Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analysis, and Case Studies from academic and reputable research databases such as the Ebscohost. Information from systematic reviews and Meta analyses would be prioritized because they present the highest forms of research evidence compared to case studies, etc.
References
Bowen, D. (2003). Viruses, Worms, and Other Nasties: Protecting Yourself Online. Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Mahadeo, D., Shivaji, W., Shivaji, T., & Bhimrao, Z. (2013). Survey on Awareness of Cyber Crime Related Issues with Reference to Citizens of Baramati Region. Indian Streams Research Journal.
