Al-Hikmah University Journal

The great advancement of digital processing and communications has made connectivity and communication between and among humans more accessible, current, and timely. However, social engineering threats and challenges have emerged as one of the most sensitive and critical issues confronting not only the business counterparts but also targeting students of higher learning through which their parents and relatives are falling victims. As revealed from previous studies, threat actors are currently increasing using social engineering stratagems or tactics in the school environment to track down their relatives by luring those involved outrageously utilizing psychological manipulation techniques to circumvent technical security systems. Despite the usefulness of technologies everywhere and every day, there are some disadvantages attached to them and chief among these disadvantages is social engineering threats. This study addresses the major challenges social engineering threat can pose to students, parents, teachers, and school managers which could lead to losing valuable personal or private information, finances or even lives as a result of the physiological and psychological consequences of social engineering attacks. The study as well looks at how the issue of social engineering threats could be ameliorated if not abolished in Nigerian institutions. Higher institution students formed the target population of the study where 200 students already in higher institutions were asked via Google form to solicit their experience or witness or opinion towards the effect of social engineering threat on their families and relatives coupled with the interview conducted to find out students’ awareness and possible ways to avert the situation in future- the interview involved 20 students on phone contacts. Both face and content validities were applied before the final draft of the items were uploaded into Google form for administration. The instrument was considered reliable after collating two separate copies of the results to Chronbach’s Alpha statistical approach with a 0.77 reliability index. The major findings of the study have a connection with the age, exposure, and ignorance of most of the students when getting into higher institutions; in the same vein, most students do look at various opportunities inherent in the use of technologies and neglecting the side effect of any new technologies introduced. Conclusions: a series of orientation programmes should be organized at departmental, college/faculty, and institutional levels to sensitize them on care attached to technology use and keeping personal or private information safe from whomever they don’t trust to avoid breaching their family security and privacy