Only 17 percent of surveyed U.K. students ‘genuinely concerned’ about cybersecurity

March 18, 2016

About three-quarters of higher and continuing education students, or 77 percent, recognize cyberattacks as a burgeoning threat, yet only 17 percent of the collective student body are “genuinely concerned” over cybersecurity, according to a new U.K.-based survey study.

Conducted by Jisc, a not-for-profit U.K. higher education technology organization, the study found that 35 percent of surveyed students believe it is their own responsibility to learn about cybersecurity. While 65 percent of surveyed students said they knew how to protect themselves online from security threats such as phishing, over 15 percent said they have had their personal email hacked.

Moreover, 35 percent of students didn't know what security measures were installed on their university computers, though 76 percent knew what security features were available on their own digital devices.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.