DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB AWARENESS APP IN MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF CYBERCRIME ON SMALL MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES (SMES)

ABSTRACT Cybercrime poses a serious threat to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), many of which lack the awareness and resources to protect themselves effectively. This project addresses that challenge by developing a web-based application aimed at increasing cybersecurity awareness among SME owners and staff. The main objective of the project is to create a simple and accessible platform where users can learn basic cybersecurity practices. The specific aims include enabling users to register and log in, view cybersecurity tips, and interact with awareness materials managed by an administrator. To achieve this, a three-tier architecture was adopted. The presentation layer was developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; the application layer was built with PHP to handle backend logic; and the data layer was managed using MySQL to store user information and cybersecurity content. The system was tested in a local environment. A functional web application that allows SME users to access useful cybersecurity tips through a clean and user-friendly interface. An admin interface was also created for uploading and managing awareness content. In conclusion, this web app serves as an educational tool to help SMEs reduce their exposure to cyber threats through better awareness. It is lightweight, easy to maintain, and scalable for future development or integration with other learning tools.