Published Online:September 2024
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Information Technology
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJIT020924
Author Name:Garki Farida Shehu and Francisca Nonyelum Ogwueleka
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Engineering
Download Format:PDF
Pages:16
The paper examines social engineering, a technique that capitalizes on human vulnerabilities to launch cybercrimes in open and distance learning (ODL) systems. A survey has been done, examining how individuals and corporations can become the most vulnerable point in a security system, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data or services. The paper analyzes the level of awareness and susceptibility of ODL users to social engineering attacks. The goal is to raise individual and corporate awareness. A questionnaire was designed and administered to 1,000 participants from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). It was found that 95.50% were technologically proficient and 75.10% used email for communication. The findings revealed that most participants had 0-5 years level of experience in the system; social engineering attacks were known by 47.70% of participants, and 67.10% admitted to suspicious behavior. Despite the fact that 51.0% were unfamiliar with social engineering assaults, only 39.80% of the participants had ever attended a cybersecurity training, while 94.80% were willing to participate in security awareness events. These results underline the need for comprehensive awareness initiatives to decrease ODL security concerns
Human factor in cybersecurity is a key aspect, particularly in the context of social engineering attacks. Social engineering, a cybercriminal method intended to attack human vulnerabilities inside an organization’s security architecture, is being increasingly acknowledged as a significant danger (Siddiqi et al., 2022).