94 International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 8(2), 94-101, April-June 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Keywords: Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, Information Assurance (IA), Information Security, Internet Technology INTRODUCTION Cyber crime generally refers to the use of com- puters and the Internet to perpetrate offenses. Such crimes may be directed at individuals, institutions, communities, or society at large. Hacking, the entry point of cyber crime, is the unauthorized use of computer and network re- sources to access and obtain information, includ- ing writing programs to undermine computer systems’ security (Hafter & Markoff, 1995). Three schools of thought emerge on the is- sue of preventing cyber crime based on relevant literature. One position is that security breaches in Internet use are due to user ignorance that can be mediated by education in security training awareness (Hight, 2005). As such, “the end user is the first line of defense” (Schou & Trimmer, 2004, p. 1). Another position is that computer end-users are not experts. Therefore, software developers can prevent cyber crime by providing software that is more secure (Chandler, 2004; Marsan, 2004). The third position seeks a middle ground: in that software developers have a responsi- bility to provide software products that are more effective; however, consumers are also responsible for taking proactive measures that can prevent cyber crime (Marsan, 2004). Egelman, King, Miller, Ragouzis, and Shehan (2007) argue that general computer users are usually not concerned about preventing cyber crime until they become victims. Thus, efforts towards designing and conducting studies on Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Information Assurance and Cyber Security Joachim Agamba, Idaho State University, USA Jared Keengwe, University of North Dakota, USA ABSTRACT This study was designed to compare pre-service teachers’ attitudes to those of general computer end-users on taking proactive measures to prevent cyber crime. Nineteen pre-service teachers, enrolled in a three-credit technology course in 2009, completed a survey instrument created by the researchers to analyze perceptions of Information Assurance (IA) and cyber security. The fndings indicated a lack of best practices in IA that was no different from that of general computer end-users to protect personal electronic information. DOI: 10.4018/jicte.2012040108