DOI: 10.5176/2251-2195_CSEIT17.72
Authors: Mabel Payne, Anthony Joseph, Claude Turner
Abstract: Mobile phone use among Antiguans and Barbudans has increased significantly in recent years to the point where it has generally become ubiquitous in the society. The World Bank has determined that increasing Internet use not only increases a country’s annual income, but it also increases the risk to security and privacy. Cybersecurity is now a priority in the global economy. The Internet, mobile phones, and transportation and broadcast communications all operate beyond national borders. Therefore, countries are required to coordinate, regulate, and secure national and international communications. This paper examines the cybersecurity awareness associated with mobile phone use among Antigua and Barbuda residents by means of a survey instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted on 20 items of the survey instrument relating to cybersecurity awareness; they include demographic, educational and professional background, computer related experience and education, and network security. The respondents’ overall cybersecurity profile showed that 85.7{6e6090cdd558c53a8bc18225ef4499fead9160abd3419ad4f137e902b483c465} rated themselves as moderately to very security conscious, 77.9{6e6090cdd558c53a8bc18225ef4499fead9160abd3419ad4f137e902b483c465} considered their phones to be moderately to very safe from online threats, 62.3{6e6090cdd558c53a8bc18225ef4499fead9160abd3419ad4f137e902b483c465} verified the safety of public Wi-Fi hotspots, and 61.0{6e6090cdd558c53a8bc18225ef4499fead9160abd3419ad4f137e902b483c465} of them had a security application on their phones. Of the seven hypotheses used, two were rejected at the 0.05 significance level. They are the hypothesis that participants older than 21 are more security conscious than younger respondents and the hypothesis that participants younger than 22 are more likely to consider their mobile phones to be safe from online threats. Overall, the results of the survey suggest that residents of Antigua and Barbuda are mostly aware of the cybersecurity risks associated with mobile phone use.
Keywords: Cybersecurity; cyberawareness; mobile phone use; information and communication technology (ICT); Antigua and Barbuda; Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM); Organization of American States (OAS).
Updating...