Cybersecurity Concerns Under COVID-19: Representations on Increasing Digital Literacy in Higher Education

The COVID-19 brought several new challenges for the students and lecturers, particularly in higher education. The conventional physical classroom was almost instantly pushed into a new environment: a remote session class. And this lecturing paradigm shift occurred, necessarily, in a short period of time. The lecturing players suffered the pressure of using different learning tools and methodologies while exposing themselves to, in most part of cases, unexpected cybersecurity threats. The purpose of this article is to clarify all the new menaces that arose during this period. Also, to understand the level of exposure and impacts on the lecturer and student to this quick but necessary paradigm shift. Methodologically: two focus groups were undertook to capture representations of students about uses of computer technology; differences in exposure to threats before and during the pandemic and impacts on society; student's needs regarding the topic and suggestions about strategies for increasing overall knowledge about it. Answers were treated recurring to software webQDA (R)-Qualitative Data Analysis Software for analysis of qualitative data. Results depict the exposure to cybersecurity issues and some level of knowledge about them, inducing preventive practices when using informatics technology. Sense of increasing insecurity in society is associated with the statement of increasing activity regarding cybercrime, giving way to the assumption of the need of awareness and knowledge of general public regarding this issues, and rise suggestions on teaching approaches directed to the subject.