Evaluating cyber security awareness in South Africa

Abstract

In many ways, the internet and cyber world is a dangerous place where innocent users can inadvertently fall prey to shrewd cyber criminals. These dangers, combined with a large portion of the South African population that has not had regular and sustained exposure to technology and broadband internet access, expose local communities to cyber threats. Research done by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the University of Venda shows that these local communities are not empowered to deal with these threats. To prevent innocent internet users from becoming victims of cyber attacks, an intensive awareness campaign is planned to educate novice internet and technology users with regard to basic security. The motivation for this awareness project is to educate all South Africans using the internet, in an attempt to strengthen the awareness level concerning the South African network - if there are local communities that are not properly educated, their technology devices may remain unprotected. This may leave the South African internet infrastructure vulnerable to attacks, posing a severe threat to national security. In this specific project, national security will be promoted through awareness training focusing on the newly released broadband capability and knowledge transfer within rural communities. To evaluate the current level of cyber security awareness, a series of exploratory surveys have been distributed to less technologically resourced entities in rural and deep rural communities within South Africa. By analysing the results of the surveys, it is possible to benchmark the current level of awareness. These observations can then be extrapolated to the larger group of rural South African communities. The next stage of the awareness evaluation project is to develop cyber security awareness training modules for the local communities in their native tongue, aimed to improve the current level of awareness. This paper discusses the preparation, evaluation and training of South African rural communities with regard to cyber security awareness. Due to the networked nature of the internet, the level of awareness has an influencing impact on the global community. Thus, to ensure a safely protected South African network, it is necessary to target the communities that can inadvertently leave the network vulnerable.