Title: Understanding users' perceptions of security in mobile devices using the two-step cluster analysis

Authors: Nelson Tochukwu Agu; Joshua Ebere Chukwuere; Tlhalitshi Volition Montshiwa

Addresses: Department of Information Systems, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa ' Department of Information Systems, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa ' Department of Business Statistics and Operations Research, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa

Abstract: In the modern world, people of all income levels own mobile devices. This means that an unprecedented number of people with different behaviours now own mobile devices, thereby increasing the security challenges of using these mobile devices. This paper focused on mobile technology's daily use by 142 students studying at the North-West University (NWU), Mahikeng, to determine their risk and their perception of mobile security. The study implemented a descriptive quantitative method using SPSS. A data mining method, the two-step cluster analysis, was used to segment the students into groups describing their risk profiles and their mobile security perceptions. The study revealed some lack of awareness and knowledge about mobile device security risks by students. Several recommendations were made for mobile device users and manufacturers in order to probe the likelihood of falling prey to security risks.

Keywords: awareness; devices; internet; malware; mobile; mobile security.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2023.133513

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2023 Vol.44 No.1, pp.81 - 101

Received: 22 May 2020
Accepted: 31 Aug 2020
Published online: 19 Sep 2023 *

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