The Role of Cybersecurity in Confronting Intellectual Security Threats

Abstract: - The rapid development of digital human communication platforms and the globalization

phenomenon have led to exposure to massive amounts of information every day. Furthermore, social media

networks become mature platforms for social participation in information and interests exchanges, news, and

highlighting events. This in turn can inevitably lead to various types of intellectual influences among people of

different ages. This study aims to identify the role of cybersecurity in confronting intellectual security threats,

such as extremism and terrorism. The study sample consists of 500 male and female students at Qassim

In the digital area, there is an exponential increase in

the digital platform's users for information,

entertainment, and communication. Furthermore,

the widespread of social networks attracts a massive

number of users to intact with each other through

them. According to Global Digital statistics, more

than 4.5 billion users use the Internet in their daily

life in 2020, [1]. Users from different ages and

cultures become exposed to massive and

unrestricted amounts of information over the

people due to their services with the digital

revolution that allows users to exchange opinions

and ideas and discuss their social concerns and

events. These social media platforms support

several advantages which cannot be available in

traditional communication means, [3]. However,

this has negative effects such as psychological and

social problems that threaten their self-stability and

feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety, [4].

Furthermore, social media platforms are one of the

clarified that intellectual security is one of the

modern concepts whose importance has been linked

to both terrorism and extremism. In this regard,

intellectual security has been linked to the

protection of societies because of its association

with the human mind and its transmission of thought

and culture to societies where its protection leads to

the achievement of comprehensive societal security.

The existing literature discussed intellectual security

concerns from different perspectives, [4], [5], [6],

penetration or containment and nurturing the

approach of moderation considering the tremendous

momentum of intellectual means and cultural

invasion in all technical means such as social media,

[9]. Social media networks play an unprecedented

role in threatening the principles of intellectual

security and promoting extremist ideas. Several

studies indicated a direct relationship between the

use of electronic means of communication and its

impact on intellectual security, [10]. Therefore,

means in various courtesies, including the use of

cybersecurity in the face of threats to intellectual

security. This study aims to explore the awareness

level of Qassim University students towards the

exploration skills and awareness of appropriate

technical tools.

1.2 Research Objectives

The research revolves around the following research

objectives:

1- To understand the level of cybersecurity

2- To understand the level of intellectual

2 Literature Review

Intellectual security can result in serious effects on

the security and stability of countries such as

extremism and terrorism. Furthermore, it leads to

destabilizing societies, influencing their conditions,

and political affairs, striking its national economies,

and putting an end to the general chaos. The study,

can be represented by a set of methods and

procedures that the countries need to consider

through the construction of mind and intellect.

Attention must be paid to promoting appropriate

values for members of society, which help in

improving behaviors and protect the mind to

discriminate against all thoughts and beliefs, [5].

Several studies have indicated the importance of

social networks and how they can affect people's

intellectual security. The study, [12], identified the

intellectual security features for students provided

by the internet in Mankato City in the United States.

The results of the study show that the intellectual

young people. In [14], the authors identified the

social networks implications on the intellectual

security of undergraduate students. The study was

improve the student's critical thinking skills to make

sure they can understand and assess what they are

exposed to in social networks. In [15], the authors

studied a relationship between intellectual security

and a set of personality factors among 203 male and

female students from King Abdulaziz University in

Jeddah. The results showed a significant

relationship between intellectual security and the

selected set of factors among the sample under

study. In [16], the authors studied the relationship

educational institutions to understand the nature of

the links between social networks and students, and

how to be used conveniently and safely. Appropriate

cybersecurity methods should be taken into

intellectual security threats and how cybersecurity

mechanism can overcome their obstacles. This study

discusses intellectual security and how it is linked to

practice to provide a convenient protection layer for

students from social network threats.

The questionnaire is built to include suitable

declarative statements related to the extent of

Qassim University students’ awareness of the

relationship between cybersecurity and threats to

intellectual security. The questionnaire is classified

under three domains:

The first domain: The awareness of cybersecurity

relationship between cybersecurity and intellectual

security.

domain can be classified by the audience into three

categories, highly important, medium important, and

not important.

to the domains and the number of statements for

each domain

Table 2. Description of the questionnaire according

psychological changes.

3.3 Questionnaire Validity

To be assured of the validity of the questionnaire,

the initial version of it presented to a group of

experts who unanimously agreed that the items in

the questionnaire are suitable for what they were

designed for, after making some initial amendments

that some experts referred to by replacing some

3.4 Questionnaire Stability

The reliability of any tool is related to obtaining the

same results when applied to the same individuals at

different times; Modal probability is used to

measure the stability of the questionnaire. The

modal probability test shows a stability coefficient

500 students. The questionnaire was presented

electronically to reach a random sample of

Table 3. Frequencies and percentages of the study’s

participants

It is noted in Table 1 that the participants from

scientific colleges represent %76.6 compared to

%23.4 from humanitarian colleges. Moreover, it can

be noted that the majority of the sample is

represented by bachelor students with %89.4 for the

total sample compared to %8.8 and 2.8 for master's

and the relationship between them reaches %85

which implies that 85% of the students have the

awareness related to cybersecurity and intellectual

security issues and the relationship between them.

15% of the sample population can be influenced in

the topics under study which has a direct impact in

the security of society.

Given the study nature and its objective to

understand the awareness level of Qassim

University students of the relationship between

were agreed upon were merged with the responses

(strongly agree and agree) into one response

Table 4. Average awareness of the concept of cyber

Table 5. Average awareness of intellectual security

threats in social networks

5.1 The Awareness of the Cybersecurity

Concepts

The results of the participants in the domain that

hypothesis of the study as there are %29.08 of

students have a lower degree of awareness in the

domain under study. The study shows that %32.2

are not fully aware of the importance of using

antivirus and malware protection programs to

protect devices from cyber-attacks and %20.2 of

students are not keen to ensure the safety of the sites

they visit using over the Internet or deal with them

financially. In addition, there are about %22.2 of

students do not know what the procedures that the

Security in Social Networks

The results of the second domain show that %78.12

of the participants are aware of the threats to

intellectual security in social networks. Although

this shows a high level of awareness among

participants, it does not achieve the hypothesis as

%21.88 of the students are not aware of the

cybersecurity and intellectual security issues, and

the relationship between them. The study shows that

%21.4 of the students are not aware of the efforts by

social media that are used by terrorist organizations

and misguided thought groups, and %24 of students

are unaware of the terrorist organizations activates,

and misguided thought groups exploit social media

hidden ways to all segments of society. It is found

that %22.6 of students have a lower degree of

awareness about the actions of terrorist

students do not know what the organizations, and

deviant thought groups, seek to undermine the

national constants and legitimacy through accounts

students have a low awareness of the relationship

between cybersecurity and intellectual security.

There is 36.11% of the students are not aware that

social media platforms can monitor abusive

accounts that spread ideas that incite hatred and

violence and remove them automatically. Moreover,

%27.2 of the students are not aware that there are

mechanisms available on social media platforms

that allow blocking suspicious accounts and

submitting reports of them. It is found that %29.8 of

the study sample did not agree on the ability of

cybersecurity software using artificial intelligence to

identify threats to intellectual security in

students do not agree with the need to develop

cybersecurity software using artificial intelligence

that can detect content threatening intellectual

is circulated to university students. Furthermore, a

series of intellectual courses, seminars, and

meetings that show the nature of intellectual

security threats can have a significant impact on

improving the awareness level among students. It is

important to prepare a specialized program to

develop Qassim University students' awareness of

cybersecurity requirements. It becomes essential to

develop cybersecurity software using artificial

intelligence that can effectively detect and warn

work, It is recommended to perform studies that

deal with students' behaviors and how it is related to

various intellectual security variables among

university students.

research under the number (9006-QEC-2022-1-F)

during the academic year 1443 AH / 2022 AD"

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[12] Johnson, Doug. (2005) “Maintaining

[18] Al-Azzam, Maysam. (2018). The role of

Abdulatif Alabdulatif carried out all research tasks

The fund was received by Qassim University,

represented by the Deanship of Scientific Research,