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Abstract

This study evaluated cybersecurity awareness among ICT staff in universities in Kabul, Afghanistan, and examined whether awareness differed by demographic and professional factors. A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed, with data collected from 36 employees across 10 universities using a structured questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. Analysis in SPSS included descriptive statistics, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results indicated a moderate level of cybersecurity awareness overall. The highest mean score was reported for recognizing the importance of protecting sensitive data (M = 3.97, SD = 0.941), whereas the lowest was for effective communication of cybersecurity policies (M = 3.25, SD = 1.052). Inferential tests revealed no statistically significant differences in awareness across age (H(3) = 1.742, p = 0.628), education (H(2) = 0.399, p = 0.819), or work experience (H(3) = 4.826, p = 0.185). Similarly, no significant difference was observed between staff with and without prior cybersecurity training (U = 117.00, p = 0.379). These findings suggest that demographic and professional characteristics do not substantially influence cybersecurity awareness among the respondents. Universities should therefore prioritize strengthening institutional communication of cybersecurity policies and establishing continuous, structured awareness programs to enhance organizational cyber resilience and equip ICT staff to safeguard institutional data.

Keywords

Cybersecurity Awareness Cybersecurity Training Quantitative Assessment ICT Employees Cyber Resilience

How to Cite

Citation Format
Himat, A. H., Sadat, S. E., & Ahmadi, M. K. (2026). A Study of Cybersecurity Awareness among University Information and Communication Technology Staff in Kabul. International Journal Software Engineering and Computer Science (IJSECS), 6(3), 868-878. https://doi.org/10.35870/ijsecs.v6i3.8075

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Author Biographies

Abdul Hameed Himat, Kabul Education University

Department of Computer Education, Kabul Education University, Kabul, Afghanistan

Sayed Elham Sadat, Kabul Education University

Department of Information Technology, Kabul Education University, Kabul, Afghanistan

Mohammad Kabir Ahmadi, Kabul Education University

Department of Information Technology, Kabul Education University, Kabul, Afghanistan

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Hameed Himat, Sayed Elham Sadat, Mohammad Kabir Ahmadi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an open-access journal distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation in any medium (even commercially), provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. Authors retain copyright without restrictions and grant the journal the right of first publication as well as non-exclusive publishing rights for archiving, indexing, and scholarly dissemination.

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