Cybersecurity Awareness of College Students in A Private Higher Education Institution Buenaventura L. Alabab Jr. 1 , Jonathan S. Cubol 2 , Michael Angelo C. Pascual 3 , Ednalyn S. Ubaldo 4 , Divina Roma D. Sario 5 , and Marjorie S. Velasco 6 Core Gateway College, Inc. San Jose City, Nueva Ecija Email: randy.a257@gmail.com 1 , jonathancubol4@gmail.com 2 , fishykhel@gmail.com 3 , ubaldoednalyn5409@gmail.com 4 , ddsario@cgci.edu.ph 5 , and msvelasco@cgci.edu.ph 6 Abstract. The study assessed the cybersecurity awareness of college students at CGCI, San Jose City, in response to the rising cyber-attack threats. A quantitative approach, particularly a descriptive-correlational research design, was used in the study. The questionnaire was distributed to 291 students across various programs in the institution. Despite advancements in legislation, Filipinos, including students, remain vulnerable. Thus, this research indicates that even Computer Science students fall victim to cyber- attacks. The result revealed that the respondents strongly agree with cybersecurity awareness which implies that the students in the institution had knowledge of things related to cybersecurity. Meanwhile, only age was found to be significantly correlated to the level of awareness of the respondents on cybersecurity which illustrates that respondents' awareness of cybersecurity risks and threats increases with age. In addition, respondents are becoming more conversant with cyberattacks. Keywords: awareness, cyber-attacks, cybersecurity, identity theft, phishing, Introduction The first recorded cybercrime in the Philippines was the "I Love You" virus, released on May 4, 2000 (Ibrahim, 2023). The case filed against the virus's author was dismissed at the first stage because no law punished the deed then (Department of Justice, 2012). Since then, Philippine lawmakers have contributed time and effort to pass Republic Act 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The purpose of the law is to address legal issues concerning internet online interactions in the Philippines. Cybercrimes punishable by the law include but are not limited to cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data, and libel. Cybersecurity awareness is vital to protect information and computer systems from malicious cyber threats and attacks (Gade & Reddy, 2014). Filipinos are susceptible to cyberattacks, particularly to phishing and malware attacks. Likewise, internet security perception is derivative: they practice online measures with a limited understanding of the purpose (Omorog & Medina, 2017). Even “hacker” and “hacking” are misunderstood and stereotyped as illegal and taboo in cyberspace. The Philippines will consistently remain vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks due to Filipino end users lacking IT security knowledge and skills. According to Liu et al. (2013), Educational institutions face higher risks of losing valuable intellectual property, research data, and personal information about the students, staff, and faculty. Researchers such as Vrana (2012) and Muniandy et al. (2017) claimed that the current students were heavy Internet users.