Abstract
Cybersecurity threats are rapidly increasing as college students rely heavily on digital platforms for academics, communication, and social interaction. Despite being digitally active, students often demonstrate unsafe practices such as password reuse, lack of two-factor authentication, delayed updates, and insecure social media behavior, leaving them vulnerable to phishing, identity theft, and data breaches. Traditional awareness programs, including seminars and posters, provide only short-term impact and fail to ensure continuous engagement. This research investigates the current level of cybersecurity awareness among college students through a survey-based study and highlights critical gaps in their knowledge and practices. To address these challenges, a chatbot-based enhancement approach is proposed. The chatbot delivers real-time cybersecurity tips, interactive quizzes, phishing simulations, and curated resources through platforms such as Telegram or WhatsApp, ensuring accessibility and ongoing learning. Compared to conventional awareness methods, the chatbot provides a more interactive, cost-effective, and scalable solution to foster secure online behavior. This study contributes a practical framework for higher education institutions to strengthen cybersecurity culture, with future scope for expansion into mobile applications and gamified learning systems.
Keywords
Cybersecurity Awareness, College Students, Chatbot, Phishing, Information Security, Online Safety, Cyber Threats, Gamification.
Citations
IRE Journals:
Zakiya Kouser
"Cybersecurity Awareness Among College: A Chatbot Based Enhancement Approach" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 4 2025 Page 41-44
IEEE:
Zakiya Kouser
"Cybersecurity Awareness Among College: A Chatbot Based Enhancement Approach" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(4)
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