Software vulnerabilities in commercial products are an issue of national importance. The most prevalent breaches are input validation vulnerabilities, and these are easily avoidable. This dissertation contributes to cybersecurity education with a set of hands-on interventions tailored for three CS courses, a set of reflection prompts to encourage…

Private higher educational institutions are at a high risk of cyber-attacks based on the amount of data they consume about students, their families, donors, faculty, and employees. I determined that there was a gap in the body of knowledge concerning how IT leaders in private higher education secure their information assets. The purpose of this…

Modern day organizations face a continuous challenge in ensuring that their employees are cognizant with malware and cyber attacks, since it has the potential to cause financial, legal, and reputational damage to them. Current awareness training exists in a multitude of forms to equip employees and organizations to protect themselves against…

The need to protect confidential data stored in university enterprise information systems and to prevent infiltration through phishing cyber attacks by malicious individuals and organizations has emerged. The unfortunate target of phishing attacks is university employees and students with access to confidential information. This research specifies…

Accreditation activities are critical for an institution pursuing excellent recognition. However, the segmented approach to records or document management employed for accreditation, which relies on paper-based records, has several flaws. Impediments such as misplacement, crumpling, termites, and other conditions that might result in damaged or…

Problematic Internet use (PIU) can lead to dysfunction and undesired consequences, especially in adolescents and youths. Studies have shown that personal emotional characteristics and relationships with others are associated with PIU. We pursue the neglected question of whether there is a correlation between personal ability, such as new media…

Cyberattacks pose a significant threat to university institutions as universities increasingly rely on computer networks to conduct day-to-day business activities. University information technology (IT) leaders are concerned about the increasing level of cyberattacks because these attacks can result in the loss of sensitive data, identity theft,…

This Praxis develops a machine learning (ML) model to address ransomware threats in higher education institutions (HEIs). HEIs are vulnerable to cyberattacks due to their open-access environments, diverse user bases, and decentralized IT systems. These vulnerabilities are compounded by limited budgets, heightened risks from increased digital…

As the twenty-first century advances technologically, the era is also becoming notorious for the rise of organized cybercrime and attacks on business information and operations. Company data and intellectual property are considered the "New Oil" that generates value for organizations and their constituents. With the escalating number of…

The current study proposes a taxonomy to organize existing knowledge on cybercrimes against critical infrastructure such as power plants, water treatment facilities, dams, and nuclear facilities. Routine Activity Theory is used to inform a three-dimensional taxonomy with the following dimensions: hacker motivation (likely offender), cyber,…

There is a significant skill gap, with millions of cybersecurity jobs still needing to be fulfilled due to a lack of a trained workforce. Various academic programs are available that teach students in different aspects of cybersecurity. This paper investigates if the title of an IT program has any impact on the desirability of a program and if…

With the recent proliferation of information technology, almost all users of technology, no matter the field, profession, or status, have experienced a commensurate increase in information security threats. This, in turn, creates a significant concern in higher institutions of public learning. Information Security Officers in public higher…

Private-sector and public-sector organizations have increasingly built specific business units for securing company assets, reputation, and lives, known as "security operations centers" (SOCs). Depending on the organization, these centers may also be referred to as global security operations centers, "cybersecurity" operations…

A common approach to increase test security in higher educational high-stakes testing is the use of different test forms with identical items but different item orders. The effects of such varied item orders are relatively well studied, but findings have generally been mixed. When multiple test forms with different item orders are used, we argue…

In this presentation we will discuss the many and varied cyber attacks that have recently occurred in the higher ed community. We will discuss the perpetrators, the victims, the impact and how these institutions have evolved to meet this threat. Mitigation techniques and defense strategies will be covered as will a discussion of effective security…