Digital literacy has become crucial for functionality and productivity in academics, work, and everyday community lives. However, easy access to digital technologies, accompanied by limited digital literacy, can expose users to the dangers that lurk in the digital world. Young people, who are frequent users of these technologies yet have less…

We present a concrete situation where there is a difference between the theoretical security of a cipher and its limitations when implemented in practice. Specifically, when entering a PIN, smudges on the keypad substantially reduce its security. We show how the number of possible keys in the presence of the "smudge attack" can be…

This paper investigates the integration of blockchain technology into core systems within institutions of higher education, utilizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework as a guiding framework. It supplies definitions of key terminology including blockchain, consensus mechanisms, decentralized…

The cyber security environment, its threats, and its defence strategies are constantly changing. Educational programmes and their curriculum are known to be slow changing and at times out-of-date, resulting in content that may not be as relevant to their students and the industry. This research paper will 1 -- present an overview of the curriculum…

To support the workforce gap of skilled cybersecurity professionals, gamified pedagogical approaches for teaching cybersecurity have exponentially grown over the last two decades. During this same period, e-sports developed into a multi-billion dollar industry and became a staple on college campuses. In this work, we explore the opportunity to…

Cybersecurity threats have been intensifying and becoming more diverse. Social engineering can enable or enhance these technical attacks. This interplay between technical attacks and social engineering, when used, makes every employee, manager and board member a part of the security infrastructure of an organization. As such, it is incumbent upon…

We present a detailed description of a Cryptography and Computer Security course that has been offered at Knox College for the last 15 years. While the course is roughly divided into two sections, Cryptology and Computer Security, our emphasis here is on the Cryptology section. The course puts the cryptologic material into its historical context…

This study examines cybersecurity awareness in universities by analyzing related research output across different disciplines at the University of Johannesburg. The diffusion of innovation theory is used in this study as a theoretical framework to explain how cybersecurity awareness diffuses across disciplines. The University of Johannesburg…

Amid the ever-increasing number of cyberthreats, cybersecurity degree programs represent a potential growth area for business schools. This study examines undergraduate cybersecurity programs offered by AACSB-accredited business schools in the US. It surveyed 503 AACSB-accredited schools and identified 72 cybersecurity programs. Using the IS2020…

Due to the increasing number of cyber incidents and overwhelming skills shortage, it is required to evaluate the knowledge gap between cyber security education and industrial needs. As such, the objective of this study is to identify the knowledge gaps in cyber security graduates who join the cyber security workforce. We designed and performed an…

Some of the most common cybersecurity threats are malware, ransomware, phishing and spam. For their victims, including higher education institutions (HEIs), cybercrimes range from inconveniences to data breaches to grand heists. The threat that cyberattacks pose for HEIs is extremely costly and increasingly frequent, according to April 2022…

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…

Cybersecurity content is typically taught and assessed using Bloom's Taxonomy to ensure that students acquire foundational and higher-order knowledge. In this study we show that when students are given the objectives written in the form of a competency-based statements, students have a more clearly defined outcome and are be able to exhibit their…

Mobile devices are a constantly used item in a college student's life. Students depend on them for entertainment, academics, and socializing with their friends. While they continually use them, they perhaps do not understand the impact of their use on their privacy or that the devices can be used to track them and collect their personal…

The authors have developed a psychometric instrument with the purpose of assessing the digital competencies of teachers in aspects of cybersecurity. From the collection of data, different secondary objectives were carried out: (1) identify if there were significant differences regarding gender; (2) understand if there are significant differences…