Information security cultures and challenges in higher education: A study from the university researchers’ perspective

Abstract: This bachelor’s thesis research focuses on information security. With the growing use of technology in research, information security has become an increasingly important concern for academic institutions, which face, among other, challenges related to the protection of sensitive data from unauthorised access, theft, and misuse. The research purpose was to explore the current information security cultures and challenges among university researchers with the aim to make suggestions to overcome the information security challenges, if any, and improve the information security culture. For this a qualitative study was conducted where the empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews with purposively selected university researchers. These were analysed thematically and five themes emerged from the analysis of the collected data that represent the research findings. The findings were explained and discussed supported by the literature review and the protection motivation theory to reach the research outcome. The research outcome highlights the need for tailored information security measures, improved data management practices, and improved communication and documentation of security procedures for the information security practices of university researchers. Thus, the bachelor’s thesis research contributes to the informatics research field by improving the understanding of factors that influence researchers' attitudes and behaviours toward information security.