Assessment of Malware Detection Capability in Personal Computing Devices of University Students in Imo State

Personal computing devices of university students contain academic work, personal data, and often institutional login credentials, making malware detection capability an important dimension of individual cybersecurity hygiene in the South East zone. This study assessed the malware detection capability and security practices of personal computing devices owned by undergraduate students at Imo State University and Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria. A combined survey and voluntary device scan methodology was employed. Two hundred and fifty students participated in a security knowledge and practice survey, and 80 consenting students allowed a malware scan using Malwarebytes free scanner. Survey results showed that 68.8 percent used free antivirus software only. Real-time protection was enabled by 58.4 percent. The voluntary device scan identified at least one threat on 38.8 percent of scanned devices, including adware (62.6 percent of threats), browser hijackers (23.7 percent), and trojans (13.7 percent). Students whose antivirus definitions were more than 30 days out of date had significantly higher infection rates (p < 0.001). Peer-to-peer file sharing was practised by 54.8 percent and was the most significant infection predictor. The study recommends mandatory antivirus deployment through university IT services, a subsidised endpoint security licence programme for students, malware awareness modules in university matriculation orientation, and peer-to-peer security risk education through student union digital safety campaigns. Keywords: malware detection, personal devices, university students, Imo State, endpoint security