The impact of COVID-19 on cybersecurity awareness-raising and mindset in the southern African development community (SADC)

At the beginning of 2020, the world came to a stand-still when governments across the globe decided to enter states of ‘emergency' or ‘disaster' over the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses to the pandemic included stringent movement restrictions and hygiene advice preventing face-to-face interactions. As a result, many activities, including schooling, working, and shopping were moved online, drastically increasing exposure to cyber threats and risks. It is unclear if and how the rapid increase in internet use corresponded to an improvement in cybersecurity mindset development in countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This paper explores the effect of the increase in digital technology usage due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the relationship between cybersecurity awareness-raising initiatives and the development of higher levels of cybersecurity mindset in Botswana, Lesotho, and Malawi. These three countries have a similar cybersecurity footprint and an average cybersecurity capacity level for the region. The research applies a comparative multiple case study approach relying on a thematic review of the literature and related documents, supported by in-depth interviews with purposefully selected key informants from the three selected SADC countries. Findings suggest that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, awareness-raising programs have gained some momentum in our selected countries, but the cybersecurity mindset has not improved. That was attributed to low frequency and poor quality of campaigns added to the lack of training, education and lived experience. The paper highlights the need to increase the frequency and improve the quality of programmes, for greater impact on the development of local cybersecurity mindsets. © 2023 The Authors. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Features of the attitude to vaccination against COVID-19 in Russia

Background. 1.5 years after the registration of the first vaccine against COVID-19 in Russia, national herd immunity reached only 49.7%. It is obvious that the success of vaccination measures depends on the readiness of the population for immunization and their attitude to the vaccine. The aim of the study was to research the attitude to vaccination against a new coronavirus infection among various socio-demographic population groups in Russia. Materials and methods. The study was conducted online by distributing via social networks a direct link to an electronic form with questions about the attitude to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination. A total of 2,786 people (of whom 66.9% were women) aged 16 to 77 years took part in the online survey. Results. It was shown that distrust of vaccination was more often expressed by women and younger people. A targeted approach to these population groups can improve the results of awareness-raising and preventive measures in the context of an ongoing pandemic.

Public Health Directives in a Pandemic: Paradoxical Messages for Domestic Abuse Victims in Four Countries.

When the COVID-19 pandemic manifested urgent concerns were raised around the globe about the increased risk that public health restrictions could pose for victims of domestic abuse. Governments, NGOs and community services swiftly responded to convey the message that services for victims were operational and restrictions did not apply to those fleeing harm. This paper reports on the various approaches used to communicate this public health messaging during COVID-19, further highlighting strengths and learning which could inform future crises messaging. It utilises data gathered through a rapid review and mapping of policy and practice initiatives across 4 high-middle income countries: UK, Australia, South Africa and Ireland. Four themes were identified: (1) Top-down: National media messaging; (2) Top-down: Political leadership; (3) Traditional media vs. social media and (4) Bottom-up messaging: Localised, community-based messaging. It was found that a strong, clear top-down stance on domestic abuse was perceived as beneficial during COVID-19. However, a stronger focus on evaluation, reach and impact, particularly for minority groups may be required. Newer forms of media were shown to have potential in conveying messaging to minority groups. Community and grassroots organizations demonstrated their experiential knowledge in reaching target audiences. Harnessing this expertise for future crises messaging may be valuable.

Cultural Heritage Education in UNESCO Cultural Conventions

The aim of the article is to analyse UNESCO conventions dealing with culture and assess the visibility and importance of cultural heritage education in these conventions and their implementation. First, it briefly presents the role of UNESCO in the area of culture and education, together with the UN Agenda 2030 and the challenges faced currently. Next, it discusses the existing UNESCO cultural conventions and their educational dimension with reference to the conventions’ provisions and aims. Each convention refers to education in the activities undertaken by States Parties, providing various tools and measures tailored to the scope of the convention. The article concludes that despite a lack of synergy and creation of education-related programs in convention-related siloes, UNESCO has managed to create a uniform and evolving system of educational measures aimed at various stakeholders and focus on various levels of awareness. Cultural heritage education is an imminent part of activities undertaken within States’ obligations and should involve various stakeholders, building networks and existing in synergy with other actions or campaigns based on different conventions.

Information security workshops during the covid-19 pandemic: Testing experiential analog learning scenarios

Although digital technologies that protect against threats have gained importance in globally networked institutions, the “human factor” in information security (IS) has not as yet been given sufficient attention. We will present the concept behind two online IS workshops that were designed and implemented as part of the project “Mittelstand 4.0— Kompetenzzentrum Stuttgart.” The workshops served to test and subsequently evaluate two analog learning scenarios that address the issues of “social engineering” and “security risk management” for small and medium-sized companies. The learning scenarios were developed according to the principles of game-based and experiential learning and aim to raise the game players’ awareness of IS over the long term. The purpose of testing during the workshops, which had to take place online owing to COVID-19 measures, was to finalize both learning scenarios for the client. For this purpose, the implement-tation of the scenarios was modified so as to be “online compatible.” Such a “hybrid” workshop variant is proving indispensable in a digitally oriented society of the future. © 2021, Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All rights reserved.

From spontaneous to strategic natural window ventilation: Improving indoor air quality in Swiss schools.

Natural window ventilation is frequently employed in schools in Europe and often leads to inadequate levels of human bioeffluents. However, intervention studies that verify whether recommended ventilation targets can be achieved in practice with reasonable ventilation regimes and that are also suitable for countries with cold winters are practically non-existent. To explore the initial situation in Switzerland we carried out carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements during the winter in 100 classrooms, most of which (94%) had natural window ventilation. In more than two thirds of those, the hygienic limit value of 2000 ppm specified for CO2 in the Swiss Standard SN 520180 (2014) was exceeded. To improve ventilation behavior, an intervention was implemented in 23 classrooms during the heating season. Ventilation was performed exclusively during breaks (to avoid discomfort from cold and drafts), efficiently, and only for as long as was necessary to achieve the ventilation objective of compliance with the hygienic limit value (strategic ventilation). The intervention included verbal and written instructions, awareness-raising via a school lesson and an interactive tool for students, which was also used to estimate the required duration of ventilation. CO2 exposure was significantly reduced in pilot classes (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p = 3.815e-06). Median CO2 levels decreased from 1600 ppm (control group) to 1097 ppm (intervention group), and the average proportion of teaching time at 400-1400 ppm CO2 increased from 40% to 70%. The duration of ventilation was similar to spontaneous natural window ventilation (+5.8%). Stricter ventilation targets are possible. The concept of the intervention is suitable for immediate adoption in schools with natural window ventilation for a limited period, pending the installation of a mechanical ventilation system. The easy integration of this intervention into everyday school life promotes compliance, which is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic.