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Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions

In South Africa one of the top cybersecurity threats is phishing. Furthermore, employees' responses to phishing emails can either bolster or weaken an organisation's cyber security. It is estimated that more than 90% of data breaches are due to successful phishing attacks. They bring the maximum ben...

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Main Author: Pilane, Karabo
Other Authors: Ruhwanya, Zainab
Format: Thesis
Language:English
English
Published: Department of Information Systems 2025
Subjects:
Cybersecurity
South African institutions
Workplace
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access_status_str Open Access
author Pilane, Karabo
author2 Ruhwanya, Zainab
author_browse Pilane, Karabo
Ruhwanya, Zainab
author_facet Ruhwanya, Zainab
Pilane, Karabo
author_sort Pilane, Karabo
collection Thesis
description In South Africa one of the top cybersecurity threats is phishing. Furthermore, employees' responses to phishing emails can either bolster or weaken an organisation's cyber security. It is estimated that more than 90% of data breaches are due to successful phishing attacks. They bring the maximum benefits with little to no cost for cyber attackers. Hence, this study aims to explain the factors that influence cybersecurity protective behaviour against phishing in South African organisations. A quantitative method was used, and data were collected online through a questionnaire survey. One hundred and twenty respondents from South African organisations participated. The partial least squares-structural equation modelling platform provided in SmartPLS-4 was used to model the data. SmartPLS was used to calculate and analyse reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, path coefficients, and significance of relationships. Factors that were identified as influencing cybersecurity protective behaviour against phishing were remote working, cybersecurity awareness, perceived user self-efficacy, facilitating conditions, perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, response efficacy, response costs, and government cyber laws enforcement.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41881
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language English
eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:19.547Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Department of Information Systems
publisherStr Department of Information Systems
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41881 Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions Pilane, Karabo Ruhwanya, Zainab Cybersecurity South African institutions Workplace In South Africa one of the top cybersecurity threats is phishing. Furthermore, employees' responses to phishing emails can either bolster or weaken an organisation's cyber security. It is estimated that more than 90% of data breaches are due to successful phishing attacks. They bring the maximum benefits with little to no cost for cyber attackers. Hence, this study aims to explain the factors that influence cybersecurity protective behaviour against phishing in South African organisations. A quantitative method was used, and data were collected online through a questionnaire survey. One hundred and twenty respondents from South African organisations participated. The partial least squares-structural equation modelling platform provided in SmartPLS-4 was used to model the data. SmartPLS was used to calculate and analyse reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, path coefficients, and significance of relationships. Factors that were identified as influencing cybersecurity protective behaviour against phishing were remote working, cybersecurity awareness, perceived user self-efficacy, facilitating conditions, perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, response efficacy, response costs, and government cyber laws enforcement. 2025-09-19T12:18:35Z 2025-09-19T12:18:35Z 2025 2025-09-19T09:31:53Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MCom http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41881 en eng application/pdf Department of Information Systems Faculty of Commerce University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Cybersecurity
South African institutions
Workplace
Pilane, Karabo
Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
title_full Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
title_fullStr Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
title_full_unstemmed Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
title_short Cybersecurity in the workplace: factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in South African institutions
title_sort cybersecurity in the workplace factors that influence positive cybersecurity behavior against phishing in south african institutions
topic Cybersecurity
South African institutions
Workplace
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41881
work_keys_str_mv AT pilanekarabo cybersecurityintheworkplacefactorsthatinfluencepositivecybersecuritybehavioragainstphishinginsouthafricaninstitutions

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