Building Cybersecurity Capacity Through Education, Awareness, and Training

This chapter gives managers and decision makers guidance in prioritizing limited resources as they face the challenge of protecting stakeholders from growing online threats. Based on a comparative study of 80 nations, we have found a clear impact of cybersecurity education, awareness raising, and training (CEAT) on the vitality of internet use and services at the national level. CEAT encompasses one of five dimensions of a larger cybersecurity capacity-building model (the Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model for Nations or CMM) developed by the Global Cybersecurity Capacity Centre. This chapter briefly describes the education, awareness, and training indicators that compose this dimension of capacity building within the CMM and our cross-national analysis of the outcomes of CEAT on internet use. Controlling for contextual variables, such as the wealth of the nations and scale of internet use, the quantitative analysis shows a positive and statistically significant impact of CEAT on the vitality of internet use and services but also a distribution of CEAT scores that indicates key issues for low-income and developing nations. A qualitative analysis of responses from a sample of these nations is used to identify key reasons for their maturity levels in this area. Recognizing the lack of maturity in cybersecurity education, awareness raising, and training in most nations studied, the chapter offers suggestions for policy and practice to meet the need for more effective programs.