Perceptive Profiles of Students Computer Security & Safety Competencies: Implication for Business Curriculum

The frequency with which intruders successfully breach and create havoc on computer systems and networks seems to indicate that information technology (IT) personnel and other employees whose duties are to protect these systems are either ill-prepared for their jobs, unfamiliar with information technology security measures (ITSM) or just not savvy enough for the industry. This issue seems to suggest that employers should seek to recruit student applicants (prospective employees) whose profiles relate to familiarity with ITSM. The profiles (gender, academic classification, academic majors, and experience with computers) have significant relationships with familiarity with ITSM (passwords, scan of computer systems and email attachments, functions of anti-virus software, placements of passwords on email attachments, functions of biometric authentication, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and multifaceted authentication systems). Multiple regression analysis of data from a survey of 867 Nigerian university students revealed that engineering and business majors; and students with very good computer experience tend to be familiar with all ITSM except sophisticated passwords and functions of multifaceted authentication systems. Students who possess documentable familiarity with ITSM may make better information security-savvy employees that can engender much needed trust in the IT industry and profession.