The Impact of Computer User’s Practices on Their Online Security:

Abstract

This study sought to determine the Impact of Computer User’s Practices on Their Online Security: A Case of Selected Learning Institutions in Arusha. Specifically, this study examined impact of demographic variables on the perceived online security and impact of the computer users’ practises endangering online security. This study employed Cybersecurity Information Sharing Theory and Cyber-terrorism IR Theory. Descriptive research design was used in this study. This study employed quantitative in the collection of relevant information concerning the objective of the study. Under this research, the target were students from the selected institutions. Simple random sampling was used to pick samples from this research. Both primary and secondary data was used in data collection exercise. Primary data was collected by using questionnaire. Secondary data was collected from various sources include both printed and electronic published and unpublished sources. Data collected were processed and analysed using excel computer program and the statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Cronbach's alpha and KMO were used as a scale to measure reliability and validity of data collected The findings unveiled that gender, age, education level, place of work and working experience have huge impact on the perceived online security. Findings portrays that users often save their new password on browsers so that may not re-enter it the next time they try to access their computers and share their personal computer, flash disk and storage device with colleagues in their office, without necessarily emptying the device. Also, findings of this study showed that online users considered themselves as safe to the very low extent while online when using personal devices and organizational devices.The study concludes that perception of confidentiality on the perceived online security is the important factor that affect users’ trust in online activities. Therefore, institutions that carry its services online should put more efforts to positively influence users’ perceptions of confidentiality. The study recommends that, future studies could use the same survey tool and technique to generalize research more globally.