Improving Security Awareness in the Government Sector

The increasing use of internet and smart mobile devices for accessing, storing and generating sensitive e-government data makes them an attractive attack vector for cyber-criminals. New technology adoption typically requires specialized training and awareness campaigns where people acquire new skills, learn about best practices and potential pitfalls of adoption. In this paper, we present results from a survey in Pakistan to help understand the level of cyber security awareness and understanding in the Government sector. The goal of the survey is to help identify at-risk demographics, problems, risks and key areas of concern that need to be addressed through customized education material and trainings. We then discuss design strategies to reduce the security and privacy risk faced by mobile device users of Government departments.