Computer literacy : Does a background in computer programming give you better cyber security habits?

Background: Computers are everywhere around us today and skills must be acquired in order for a person to use them. However, the topic of computer literacy is not researched enough to specify basic computer skills to consider an individual computer literate. This thesis will contribute to the research gap by investigating the computer skills of the workforce in the IT sector. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the connection between computer programming and cyber security skills of the IT professional, e.g. is there a beneficial factor of this connection. Method: For this study the quantitative research method was used to gather data. The authors decided that the best way to reach their target group and answer the research questions was to conduct a survey and pose questions on the topics of computer literacy and cyber security. Conclusion: The results show that there is a statistical significance between the user’s security habits and his or her programming skills (or the absence of them). People who write code, defined as programmers, scored better on security skills survey, whereas their counterparts, the non-programmers, have some knowledge on the topic but they can never be absolutely sure of their cyber safety in the fast changing world of IT