Analysis of the Security Threat and Vulnerability of Smartphone use among Tertiary Students in Ghana

Issah Bala Abdulai, Abu Sulemana

Abstract: The study was to find out the extent at which tertiary students in Ghana use Smartphone, and to examine the level of awareness regarding security risks that accompany the use of smartphones among tertiary students. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data in four tertiary institutions. Data was collected from 150 tertiary students. These tertiary students were randomly sampled during visits to the various institutions. Data was gathered through questionnaire for all participants. The data was analysed using frequency counts and percentages to answer research questions. The results indicated that, generally, most tertiary students in Ghana use android operating system smartphones. Besides, some of the tertiary students are not aware of the security threat and vulnerability that affect their smartphones. Furthermore, majority of the tertiary students in Ghana do not do enough to protect their smartphone from being attacked. Finally, the study suggests a training programme to equip the tertiary students to manage the threat efficiently.

Keywords: Smartphone, Security Risk, Information Security, Operating System, Vulnerability