PARENTS AND OLDER ADULTS ‘AWARENESS AND

READINESS FOR SMART DEVICES’ CYBERSECURITY

A Preliminary Dissertation Part-I Report
submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of
degree of
MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING
Submitted to

Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya Bhopal (M.P.)

Submitted By
RITIKA P. MISHRA
0126CS22MT12
Under the Guidance of
Mr. Rajesh Tiwari
Assistant Professor CSE, OCT
Department of Computer Science & Engineering

ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL

Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P.
Affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)
December, 2023
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

BONA FIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Dissertation Part-I report entitled “Parents and Older
Adults Awareness and Readiness for Smart Devices Cybersecurity” is being
submitted by Ritika Prabhat Mishra (0126CS22MT12) in partial fulfillment of
the requirement for the award of Master of Technology in Computer Science and
Engineering at Oriental College of Technology, Bhopal (M.P.) is a record of bona
fide work done by him under our guidance.
Date:
Place: Bhopal

APPROVED & GUIDED BY:

Mr. Rajesh Tiwari

GUIDE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Department of Computer Science & Engineering.
Oriental College of Technology, Bhopal

Prof. Avinash Sharma Dr. Amita Mahor

Associate Professor & HOD Director
OCT, Bhopal
CSE, OCT, Bhopal
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

APPROVAL CERTIFICATE

The Dissertation Part-I report entitled “Parents and Older Adults

Awareness and Readiness for Smart Devices Cybersecurity” being

submitted by “Ritika Prabhat Mishra (0126CS22MT12)” has been

examined by us and is hereby approved for the award of degree Master of

Technology in Computer Science and Engineering for which it has been

submitted. It is understood that by this approval the undersigned do not

necessarily endorse or approve any statement made, opinion expressed, or

conclusion drawn therein, but approve the dissertation only for the purpose

for which it has been submitted.

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

Mr. Rajesh Tiwari Name:
Assistant Professor Designation:
CSE, OCT, Bhopal Institute Name:
Date: Date:
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

CANDIDATE DECLARATION

I, Ritika Prabhat Mishra (0126CS22MT12) student of Master of

Technology in Computer Science And Engineering, Oriental College of

Technology, Bhopal (M.P), hereby declare that the work presented in this

Dissertation Part-I report entitled “Parents and Older Adults Awareness

and Readiness for Smart Devices Cybersecurity” is the outcome of my own

work, is bona fide and correct to the best of my knowledge and this work has

been carried out taking care of engineering ethics. The work presented does

not infringe any patented work and has not been submitted to any other

university or anywhere else for the award of any degree or any professional

diploma.

Ritika P. Mishra
(0126CS22MT12)
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the Dissertation Part-I report entitled “Parents and
Older Adults Awarenessand Readiness for Smart Devices Cybersecurity”
is being submitted on the partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of
Master of Technology in “Computer Science and Engineering”. The work
has been carried out in the departmentof “Computer Science and Engineering”
at Oriental College of Technology, Bhopal is an authentic record of my own
work carried under theguidance of Mr. Rajesh Tiwari, Assistant Professor. I
have not submitted the matterembodied in this report for award of any degree.

I also declare that a check for plagiarism has been carried out on the thesis /
project / dissertation and is found within the acceptable limit and report of
which is enclosed herewith.

Date: Ritika P. Mishra

Place: Bhopal 0126EC21MT01

Guided By: Forwarded By:

Mr. Rajesh Tiwari Prof. Avinash Sharma

Assistant Professor Associate Professor & HoD
CSE, OCT, Bhopal CSE, OCT, Bhop

Approved By

Dr. Amita Mahor

Director, OCT Bhopal
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

PLAGIARISM CERTIFICATE

Content of this dissertation work has been checked for plagiarism with the

help of Plagiarism Checker X software.

This is to certify that no portion of the un-referred content is found to have

plagiarism.

Ritika P. Mishra
(0126CS22MT12)
 ORIENTAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Approved by AICTE New Delhi & Govt. of M.P. & Affiliated to
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am heartily thankful to the Management of Oriental College of Technology for providing

me all the facilities and infrastructure to take my work to the final stage.

It is the constant supervision, moral support, and proper guidance of our respected Director
Dr. Amita Mahor, that kept us motivated throughout.

I have a deep sense of gratitude and respect for my learned guide Mr. Rajesh Tiwari,
Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering Department. Without his
enthusiasm and encouragement this dissertation would not have been completed. His
valuable knowledge and innovative ideas helped me to take the work to the final stage. I
am grateful and thankful to him for his timely advice.

I express my gratefulness to Prof. Avinash Sharma, Associate Professor and Head of

Computer Science & Engineering Department for providing all the facilities available in
the department, for her continuous support, advice, encouragement during thiswork and
help to extend my knowledge and proper guidelines.

I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Rajesh Tiwari, M.Tech Coordinator of

Computer Science & Engineering Department for cooperation, guidance, and support. I am
thankful to all the faculty members and other non-teaching staff of the department for their
cooperation.

Constant help, moral and financial support of my loving parents motivated me to complete
the work. I express my heartily thanks to all my family members for their cooperation.

I really admire the fond support of my classmates for their cooperation and constant help.
It gives immense pleasure to acknowledge the encouragement and support extended by
them. Last but not the least I am extremely thankful to all who have directly or indirectly
helped me for the completion of my work.

Ritika P. Mishra
(0126CS22MT12)
 ABSTRACT

Smart Devices technologies are evolving and introducing more

cybersecurity challenges while developing. One of the cybersecurity
challenges in the social aspect is the high level of smart devices exposure
for children and teens, with the biggest burden of protecting the children
lies on the parents. The integration of smart devices into the lives of older
adults brings forth a new era of connectivity and convenience, but it also
presents unique cybersecurity challenges. This paper presents an
assessment of the current children level of exposure to cybersecurity threats
and measuring the awareness and readiness of parents to deal with these
threats. Searching through available literature, the research topic of children
protection from smart devices revealed either limited or outdated content
considering the nature of the topic field development over time. In addition,
there is a lack of information found on the chosen focus which are children
aged six years or below and older adults (50yrs to 65yrs). Around half of
respondents allow their children to play games which are not suitable for
their age even though some are monitoring the children while playing and
others are checking the content of the games. Middle aged people navigates
internet there is an increase in the rate of this aged group pioneers they are
not aware of risk of cybersecurity and fraud. The key findings of this study
shall be used to design strategies of child and older adults’ cyber protection
and find a solution to help minimizing cybersecurity risks.
 TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4-5

CHAPTER 3 OBJECTIVE 6

CHAPTER 4 PROBLEM FORMULATION 7

CHAPTER 5 METHODOLOGY 8

CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION 9

REFERENCES 10
 INTRODUCTION

In the 1970s, Atari Inc. introduced the first commercially widespread video
gaming console. Back in that time parents did not have cybersecurity
concerns when they allowed their children to access these gaming devices,
knowing that the contents of these devices are lines and dots moving in one
colored background.

The study Investigates the about the main threats that face children in
cyberspace using exploratory surveying method to measure the awareness
and readiness of parents with children aged six and older adult’s awareness
and readiness about cybersecurity in Bhopal

The technology devices at that time were used in a controlled environment.

While technology evolved, more featured innovative products were made.
With today’s video game consoles, users can connect to the internet, watch
movies, play online and communicate with each other [1].

Usage of smart devices became widespread and with this spreading, more
cybersecurity challenges encountered. One high important challenge is
children cybersecurity protection. In a smart world, children may face many
cyber safety issues including privacy, exposure to inappropriate content,
cyberbullying, cyber stalking, misusage of smart gadgets and other issues
[2].

Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the Kingdom of

Bahrain published a national internet safety report to promote cyber safety
knowledge and culture innovation [3] [4]. The report discussed
cyberbullying as an example of one of the threats facing children in Bahrain
revealed complication and effect on children.

Due to the rapid advancement in internet services, people use cyberspace

extensively for their day-to-day activities. With the increase in usage and
exposure to the online space, it is observed that many cybercrime activities
exist in today’s world. Cybercrime has many forms, and the impact of such
crimes has been incredibly significant in both financial and societal terms.
Hence, cyber security has become a prime concern to protect the users’
being a victim of a cybercrime.

This study aims to provide an insight into one of the most vulnerable groups
of cybercrimes and this thesis is about cyber security of computer and
system science.

Information Security Awareness Programs, Cybersecurity Awareness

Programs, online courses on security awareness can be used as a remedial
measure to enhance the awareness of cyber security among elders.
Technological challenges identified include lack of cyber security skills
where they do not have the motivation to seek cyber security related
information, unable to understand the jargon used and use of unsecured
networks and easily imitable passwords. The remedies found were
biometrics instead of passwords, participatory approach for the design and
development of programs and use of elder friendly internet browsers. This
study contributes to the cyber security of senior citizens by understanding
the challenges and suggesting remedies for the challenges identified.

During Covid-19 and due to the digitization and cyber-related revolution in

the industry, cyber security issues involving the elderly have become a
serious concern especially among cyber security experts, academics, and
researchers. Governments and relevant agencies have used several existing
cyber security awareness models. However, most of the existing models are
too technical for the elderly thus are not suitable for them especially if they
suffer from disabilities and impairments.

Older adults are the fastest growing population among computer and
internet users and use technology for a number of reasons; from
convenience activities such as banking shopping maintaining
communication through to facilitating self-care and health management.
Older adults recognize the benefits that technology provides for staying
 independent for longer, and many are keen to continue using technology
well into older age.

Like all users, older adults are at risk of cyber-attacks; however, they are
specifically sought out by cyber criminals.

Older adults are susceptible to certain types of attacks such as romance

scams and consumer fraud. They are also an increasing target for phishing
attacks and can struggle to differentiate between genuine and fake emails,
messages, websites and links.

This study has four main objectives:

1) To measure the children level of exposure to smart devices

2) To measure the awareness of their parent

3) To measure the awareness of older adults

4) Readiness to deal with smart devices cyber threats.

The study was motivated from the high importance of the topic of children
protection from smart devices technologies and to contribute to the limited
information and the non-existence of knowledge about children aged six or
below and older adults in the literature.

This study aims to address current gaps in the literature by introducing a

novel card sorting task that allows older adults to simply express their
beliefs and their confidence in a range of protective behaviors before using
this task as a prompt for subsequent interview questions. The ultimate aim
was to understand more about the factors that might inhibit older adult
engagement with online protective behaviors. The study sought to answer
two research questions: (1) why might older adults choose not to engage in
protective online behaviors? And (2) what impacts the confidence an older
adult has in executing such behaviors?
 LITERATURE REVIEW

Parents are playing a major role to handle these safety issues. If the parents are not aware
or not ready to deal with them, many complications might be raised affecting the children
safety and psychological life. While parents are trying their best to protect children from
smart devices cyber threats, there is a need for an evaluation of the current awareness and
readiness of parents to deal with today’s protection challenges. Parents' Awareness and
Readiness for Smart Devices' Cybersecurity Ahmed E. Al-Naser, Aisha Bushager, Hessa
Al-Junaid.

One of the earliest attempts of smart transformation, Srivastava et al developed a proposal

for a smart Kindergarten using sensor-based wireless sensors back in 2001 [6]. Technology
has advanced since then introducing more smart technologies and producing more smart
gadgets. Technology is evolving which result in producing more security challenges with
every product released or solution developed and while technology advances over years,
the exposure to smart technologies is attracting more younger people, this is reported in
many studies such as in the studies done by the TRA in Bahrain [3] [4].

Some parents will unintentionally expose their children to security challenges introduced
by smart technologies because of the lack of awareness for the capability of these
technologies and their risks. In the investigation study, Plowman et al [7] discussed parents’
lack of experience in technology during their childhood which leads to a lack of experience
in dealing with their children technology usage. In their interviews, they found more than
half of parents who put rules for watching television but only a few of them set rules for
using computers for their children. Smart technologies are not only computers and phones
anymore. Big contributors to smart technologies are devices using “Internet of Things”
(IoT). Karakaya et al [8] explained how the smartwatch is being considered an IoT device
while listing the types of sensors they may have.

The investigation into the security of the smartwatch done revealed that although the
smartwatches are popular and their computational capabilities are growing, the
smartwatches manufacturers are not giving priority to their security. The study found that
smartwatches can be used as a backdoor for the smartphones they connect with and if
application developers do not implement security correctly, then this may lead to more
security breaches to smartwatch owner information. Younger people adapt more to
technology. A study [9] surveyed teen usage of smartphones found that 23% of teens
between 12-17 years old own a smartphone.

Challenges of Online Security for Senior Citizens - A systematic review of challenges faced
by senior citizens on online security. Sinthujan Sivagumaran Due to the rapid advancement
in internet services, people use cyberspace extensively for their day-to-day activities. With
the increase in usage and exposure to the online space, it is observed that many cybercrime
activities exist in today’s world. Cybercrime has many forms, and the impact of such crimes
has been incredibly significant in both financial and societal terms. Hence, cyber security
has become a prime concern to protect the users’ being a victim of a cybercrime.
SCSAM-Elderly: A New Synergistic Cyber Security Model for the Elderly for IR4.0
Readiness in Malaysia existing cybersecurity awareness models were analyzed.
Finally, a cyber security awareness model was mapped to the learning styles of the
elderly, contents of the current cyber-attack issues related to the elderly, questionnaire
and technicality. The learning styles of the elderly were studied based on the types of
disabilities and impairments. Based on the mapping results, a cyber security awareness
model has been proposed for the elderly based on the Security Awareness Model and
an Information Security Awareness Program (ISAPM) General Model.
 OBJECTIVE

Conduct surveys and interviews to gauge the existing cybersecurity awareness levels
among older adults in relation to smart devices. Identify common misconceptions,
concerns, and areas of vulnerability specific to this demographic. Analyze the types of
smart devices commonly used by older adults and their frequency of use. Investigate the
challenges faced by older adults in securing and managing smart devices, considering
factors such as usability and technological complexity. Develop guidelines for safe and
responsible social media engagement tailored to older adults. Conduct awareness
campaigns emphasizing the importance of securing personal information and recognizing
potential social engineering threats on popular platforms.

This study has four main objectives:

1) To measure the children level of exposure to smart devices

2) To measure the awareness of their parent

3) To measure the awareness of older adults

4) Readiness to deal with smart devices cyber threats.

Facilitate intergenerational knowledge-sharing sessions between older adults and younger

generations.

Conduct surveys and interviews to evaluate the current level of cybersecurity awareness
among the parents regarding smart device usage within the family. Identify common
challenges, concerns, and misconceptions related to cybersecurity. Organize interactive
workshops and webinars to provide parents with hands-on training on cybersecurity best
practices. Cover topics such as setting up parental controls, managing screen time, and
recognizing and mitigating potential online threats to children.

Develop guidelines and resources specifically addressing safe social media practices
within family settings. Encourage open communication between parents and children
about responsible social media usage and potential risks.
 PROBLEM FORMULATION

One of the most vulnerable groups to cyber victimization is found to be children, teens and
older adults throughout the world. Since the global elderly population is on rise, the
incidents of cyber victimization have also significantly risen over the recent past causing
enormous detrimental financial and societal impacts.

Parents' awareness of smart device cybersecurity is paramount in safeguarding children

from age-inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online predators. The research
contributes to creating a safer online environment for children.

As technology becomes integral to daily life, ensuring that older adults are digitally
included is crucial. This research can contribute to bridging the digital divide by
empowering older adults to navigate smart devices securely and participate in the digital
world.
 METHODOLOGY

This study is an investigation about the main threats that face children in the cyberspace
using exploratory surveying method to measure the awareness and readiness of parents
with children aged six years or below and older adult’s awareness and readiness about
cybersecurity in Bhopal.

To answer the research question, it is required to collect the current knowledge on the
challenges faced by senior citizens on online security and the possible remedial actions.
Accordingly, documentary research strategy is adopted for this study and the data was
collected using Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. Suitable keywords and
synonyms are generated, and the search was conducted on Google Scholar, IEEEXplore,
Pubmed, ScienceDirect and Proquest databases. The results were screened using a pre-
approved screening protocol. The data was extracted after a quality assessment check on
the appropriateness of the review article to the research question.

The questions in the questionnaire are designed as closed type questions with
predetermined answers. The questionnaires consist of four parts. The first part of the
questionnaire intended to establish a validation for the participant to ensure only the
targeted population is participating. Moreover, questions in this part were used as internal
checks for the questionnaire. The second part includes questions designed based on the
survey's first objective which is to measure the current exposure of children to the available
smart technologies. The third part of the questionnaire contains questions to measure the
study's second objective which is to measure the awareness of the parent for their children
level of exposure to smart technologies cybersecurity challenges. The final part of the
questionnaire contains questions based on the study's third objective which is to measure
the readiness of parents to deal with cybersecurity challenges for the protection of their
children.

Research Tool Used:

Data Collecting Tools

"Data collecting tools" refers to the tools/devices used to gather data, such as a paper
questionnaire or a system for computer-assisted interviews. Tools used to gather data
include case studies, checklists, interviews, occasionally observation, surveys, and
questionnaires. Data collection is the process of collecting and analyzing information on
relevant variables in a predetermined, methodical way so that one can respond to specific
research questions, test hypotheses, and assess results. Data collection can be either
qualitative or quantitative. Example: A company collects customer feedback through online
surveys and social media monitoring to improve their products and services.
 CONCLUSION

Secure online environment for their children. As primary influencers, parents are
instrumental in instilling responsible digital behaviors, setting boundaries, and guiding
children through the intricacies of the digital landscape.

The study sheds light on the complexities of social media engagement for older adults.
Safely navigating social platforms involves understanding privacy settings, recognizing
potential scams, and fostering responsible online behavior. Empowering older individuals
with these skills is crucial for a secure digital social presence.
 REFERENCES

A. E. Al-Naser, A. Bushager and H. Al-Junaid, "Parents' awareness and readiness

for smart devices' cybersecurity," 2nd Smart Cities Symposium (SCS 2019),
Bahrain, Bahrain, 2019, pp. 1-7, doi: 10.1049/cp.2019.0226.

S. S. Tirumala, M. R. Valluri and G. Babu, "A survey on cybersecurity awareness

concerns, practices and conceptual measures," 2019 International Conference on
Computer Communication and Informatics (ICCCI), Coimbatore, India, 2019, pp. 1-6,
doi: 10.1109/ICCCI.2019.8821951.

H. M. Jawad and S. Tout, "Introducing a Mobile App to Increase Cybersecurity

Awareness in MENA," 2020 3rd International Conference on Signal Processing and
Information Security (ICSPIS), DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 2020, pp. 1-4, doi:
10.1109/ICSPIS51252.2020.9340128.

Z. Siddiqui and N. Zeeshan, "A Survey on Cybersecurity Challenges and Awareness for
Children of all Ages," 2020 International Conference on Computing, Electronics &
Communications Engineering (iCCECE), Southend, UK, 2020, pp. 131-136, doi:
10.1109/iCCECE49321.2020.9231229.

N. A. Azam, A. Geogiana Buja, M. Y. Darus and N. Masri Sahri, "SCSAM-Elderly: A

New Synergistic Cyber Security Model for the Elderly for IR4.0 Readiness in Malaysia,"
2022 IEEE 12th Symposium on Computer Applications & Industrial Electronics
(ISCAIE), Penang, Malaysia, 2022, pp. 117-122, doi:
10.1109/ISCAIE54458.2022.9794521.

S. S. Tirumala, A. Sarrafzadeh and P. Pang, "A survey on internet usage and

cybersecurity awareness in students," 2016 14th Annual Conference on Privacy, Security
and Trust (PST), Auckland, New Zealand, 2016, pp. 223-228, doi:
10.1109/PST.2016.7906931.