Understanding User Knowledge of Computer Security and Risk: A Comparative Study
Craig Thurlby, Caroline Sharon Langensiepen, John S. Haggerty, Robert Ranson · HAISA · 2015
Academic institutions have to cope with thousands of new students every year, with a wide range of knowledge of computer security. This can potentially lead to many breaches, with resultant impact on availability and cost to fix. In this paper we report on a survey of a group of new first year undergraduate students. Their replies show that 18 year olds use computers very heavily, but their understanding of what computer security means can range from the sophisticated to the worrying. In addition, their emphasis is often on their personal security and privacy within social media rather than any impact on the machines they use at university. We discuss their responses in detail and make some recommendations regarding further analysis.