Antecedents of cyber resilience against cybercrime threats among the Perlis community

Abstract

Cyber resilience is essential for fostering the inner strength of a community so that it can withstand multiple cybercrime threats, particularly when using online platforms. Online platforms are crucial communication tools during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. The standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Malaysian government to reduce COVID-19cases recommends using online platforms for daily activities. Since the community started using online platforms with little cyber security knowledge and understanding of perceived risk, self-control, a socially resourceful environment, and fear of perpetrators' cybercrime threats, cybercrime has increased. This lowers cyber resilience, especially in terms of recovering from cybercrime and regaining confidence to use online platforms. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine the antecedents of cyber resilience against cybercrime threats in the community of Perlis, the smallest state in Malaysia, utilizing resilience theory as its theoretical framework. The research produced the following objectives: (1) to gauge the extent of perceived risk, self-control, a socially resourceful environment, fear of cybercrime threats, the use of cyber security measures, and the level of cyber resilience against cybercrime threats among the Perlis community; (2) to analyse the relationships between perceived risk, self-control, a socially resourceful environment, fear of cybercrime threats, the use of cyber security measures and cyber resilience against cybercrime threats among the Perlis community; and (3) to test the mediating effect of the use of cybersecurity measures between perceived risk, self-control, a socially resourceful environment, fear of cybercrime threats, and cyber resilience against cybercrime threats among the Perlis community. This study employed a quantitative research design using the survey method. The questionnaire served as the research instrument for data collection. There were a total of 422 cybercrime victims who participated in the study. In addition, the study utilised stratified random sampling, with each commune serving as a stratum to ensure that each commune in Perlis was adequately represented. According to SPSS, perceived risk, self-control, a socially resourceful environment, fear of cybercrime threats, cyber security measures, and cyber resilience are all significant and positive. This shows that victims understand how to build cyber resilience in the face of perpetrators' cybercrime threats. The PLS-SEM measurement model showed that all cyber resilience constructs against cybercrime threats were relevant and significant. Nine direct relationships (H1–H9) were examined in this study. Except for H2, H3.1, H3.2, H4, and H5, all hypotheses are supported (H1, H3.3, H6, H7.1, H7.2, H7, H8, and H9). Six hypotheses (H10–H13) tested indirect effect (mediating effect). Since H10 and H12.2 are unsupported, the indirect effect from hypotheses 10 to 12 (H10-H12) indicates partial mediation of the patch coefficient. Significant aspects of these findings were discussed in light of previous research. These findings used resilience theory to understand, quantify, and apply cyber resilience against community cybercrime threats. Thus, resilience theory is applicable to this study.