Cyber Literacy and Cyber Risk Mitigation Program of One Municipal College in the Philippines

This research assesses the effect and implementation of a cyber-literacy and cyber risk prevention program for a local municipal college in the Philippines with the purpose of determining the most common cyber security threats, determining the level of cyber literacy of students and gauging the impact of awareness programs on online safety attitudes of respondents. Through a descriptive quantitative approach, information was gathered from 200 participants using a standardized questionnaire on cyber literacy, risk exposure, and program efficacy.
There were findings showing that while 75.5% of students were certain that they could protect their personal information online, such confidence was often negated by insecure behavior such as password reuse (35%), rarely changing passwords (63.5% changing once a year or never), limited knowledge about multi-factor authentication (43.5%), and poor skills in detecting phishing (32% unsure). The most prevalent student concerns were online safety on social media (79.5%), being scammed online (59%), defending devices (53.5%), managing passwords (50.5%), and recognizing phishing (47%). However, even though 51% of the interviewees had undergone formal cyber security training, 31.5% expressed that it was ineffective, reflecting the needs for more situation-based, relevant, and interactive training.
The report identifies a perception-performance gap in cyber security preparedness, whereby reported confidence is not always converting into secure behavior. The research suggests embedding regular, context-relevant cyber literacy training into the curriculum, including practice skills like phishing recognition, password habits, and secure device use. Improved development in these areas will not only improve individual digital resilience but also provide a blueprint for other educational institutions who wish to develop a stronger cyber security culture.