Evaluation of User Awareness and Behavior towards Cyber Threats through the PLS-SEM Approach and the Implementation of Digital Education
Abstract
The level of awareness and behavior of users towards information security is a crucial aspect in facing the increasing cyber threats in the digital era. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between exposure to cyber phenomena (Phenomena), security awareness (Awareness), and digital security behavior (Security) using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The research instrument was developed in the form of an online questionnaire via Google Forms and distributed to 100 respondents, the majority of whom were students. The analysis results indicate that Phenomena has a strong positive influence on Awareness (coefficient = 0.574), Awareness influences Security (coefficient = 0.283), and Phenomena also has a direct influence on Security (coefficient = 0.410). These findings were used as the basis for developing educational materials in the form of educational posters containing six safe behavior procedures, which were directly communicated to students and university students. Observation results indicated that a simple visual approach is effective in conveying information security messages to non-technical target groups. This study recommends and concludes that education developed based on data analysis results can serve as a strategic approach in building awareness and a safe digital culture.
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