Vulnerability of students to phishing sttacks
Molina Hernández, Rebeca del Carmen; Olivas Doña, Hilder Amílcar
Vulnerabilidad de estudiantes ante ataques de Phishing
Autores Olivas Doña, Hilder Amílcar
Tema data security
Tema cyberattack
Tema phishing
Tema social engineering
Tema electronic mail
Tema ciberseguridad
Tema seguridad de los datos
Tema Ciberataque
Tema Phishing
Tema Ingeniería social
Tema correo electrónico
Descripción The use of digital media by university students has increased their susceptibility to the exposure of their personal and academic information. This study aimed to determine the vulnerability of students at the Central University of Nicaragua during 2025 to phishing attacks via email and text messages. It also analyzed the potential association of these attacks with sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, academic year, and major using a quantitative correlational approach. The hypothesis was that a significant proportion of students would be vulnerable to phishing attacks (p=0.5), with associations to the aforementioned variables. The population consisted of 700 students from various majors. Using simple random sampling, with a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error, a sample of 249 students with email addresses registered in the institutional database was selected. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and confidence intervals. The chi-square test of independence was applied to determine associations; when the assumptions were not met, the Monte Carlo method and Fisher's exact test were used. 36.9% of students were found to be vulnerable, with a slightly higher proportion among women, and no significant associations with sociodemographic variables. Younger students and first-year students showed a higher number of cases of vulnerability. This highlights the need to implement cybersecurity awareness and training strategies, as well as to explore new variables that allow for a better understanding of the factors that influence susceptibility to phishing attacks.
Tipo info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Tipo Artículo revisado por pares
Identificador 10.61454/88z0zw71
Fuente Espectro Investigativo Latinoamericano; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): Espila; 180-192
Fuente 2710-7515
Fuente 10.61454/kg7dew66
Derechos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0