Defensive Cybersecurity Preparedness Assessment Model for Universities

Abstract

Broadband and internet access has become readily available to citizens across the globe as a result the recent uptake of fiber connectivity. General Cyber Security threats like malware attacks, social engineering scams and financial frauds have increased. Though numerous security models have been advanced by NIST and ISO standards, but the frightening truth is that escalating cyber-attacks are still on the rise. This is because most existing security analysis tools focus mainly on detecting attacks. Despite the steady flow of security updates and patches, this scenario has led to a continued rise of attack surface in institutions of higher learning where students and staff sensitive information and valuable assets is of high stake. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to establish the factors for effective defensive cyber security in Universities. The study utilized a survey method to collect data from cyber security experts of the sampled universities. The study targeted 27 respondents (ICT experts) from 5 universities both public and private that were purposively sampled in Kenya. 23 questionnaires were returned translating to 85% response rate. This was very sufficient for the study. Correlation analysis was carried and the findings indicated a statistically significant relationship for human factors (87.7%), technology factors (83.5%), and policy factors (83.2%) on defensive cyber security preparedness. Multiple linear regression was also done to predict the extent of the effect of each independent variable on defensive cyber security preparedness. In conclusion, the study noted that, all the three cyber security factors were significant hence there was a need to enhance them so as to improve security against the advancing threat landscape across all sectors especially institutions of higher learning like universities.