Empowerment Technologies 1

Online Safety and Security Quarter 1

Course Module Week 2

Online Safety and Security

The Internet has become a part of our daily lives. The technology has become
so advanced that the average person can now access vast amounts of
information and communicate with people from all over the world using
devices that can fit in his pocket. In what is called the Information Age, the
Internet has become not only a privilege but also a necessity for many
people.

Information Security
We usually need to submit some personal information in order to gain access
to online sites and services. These personal details are often required to
secure our online activities and transactions. However, in the wrong hands,
our personal information can be used to cause inconvenience, loss or even
harm to us and other people. Here are some of the most commonly shared
personal details, how they can be used in dishonest and malicious ways and
what you can do to secure them.
Full Name
Almost every app and website with a log-in feature require your full name.
Most of the time, they just ask for it to determine how to properly address
you in emails and personal messages. Some sites, like Facebook, use it to
label your account and online interactions.
What’s the risk?
Your name is probably the most widely known detail about you but it
can still be used in the simplest forms of identity theft. Anyone can use
your full name to sign up and create a fake account. This account can
then be used in ways that may put you in trouble like posting
malicious content or leaving rude comments.
What can I do?
Just like in the real world, you should always be careful of whom you
tell your name to. In online, you can refrain from using your full name
especially in apps and sites where they are not really required.
Username
A username is an alias that represents your online presence. It can be your
real name or combinations that totally depend on your creativity. Some apps
and websites address you by your username instead of your full name. In
many cases, your username, along with your password are all that is needed
to log in to your account.
 What’s the risk?
In the Internet, your username is as good as your actual name.
Therefore, anyone who knows it can start looking for you or
sometimes even contact you.
What can I do?
Like your real name, do not readily give out your username, especially
with people that you don’t trust. As a precaution, you can select
usernames that do not include your real name.
Password
The password is one of the most important bits of information in the
Internet. Basically, it is a group of characters that, when paired with your
username or email address, can unlock your user account. For this reason,
website and app owners have many ways to keep your password secure.
What’s the risk?
For obvious reasons, hackers take special interest in people’s
passwords. People tend to use similar if not identical passwords for
their online accounts so figuring out the password to one account may
also compromise the others.
What can I do?
There are several steps that you can do to keep your passwords
secure:
1. Do not share your password with ANYONE.
2. Memorize your password. Do not write it down anywhere.
3. Do not use obvious passwords like important dates or names
of you or your loved ones.
4. Use combinations of uppercase letters, lowercase letters,
numbers and special characters. Some websites require this
but it’s a good practice to do so even if it’s not.
Tip: To prevent yourself from forgetting your password, use
phrases that are easy for you to remember but hard for others
to guess like lines from a song or movies or phrases that have
personal meaning to you.
5. Do not use the same passwords for different accounts.
Tip: More specifically, do not use the same passwords for apps
that are used for leisure (Facebook, Instagram) and apps that
are used for financial transactions (Paypal, eBay, online
banking)
6. Change your passwords periodically
7. Do not save your password when using public computers or
other people’s device.
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Tip: Web browsers commonly give you the option to save your
password when you first log in to some websites. This feature
may be convenient when using your own computer or mobile
device but it can be dangerous if you accidentally save your
password in someone else’s computer or device especially if it
is in a public place like a library or a computer shop.
Birth Date
Birth dates are mostly required to determine if you are old enough to access
certain contents and features in the Internet. Sometimes, it is also used in
security checks to determine if it is indeed the rightful owner who is
accessing the account since birth dates are not usually widely known.
What’s the risk?
The birth date, along with other personal details can be used to pass
security checks and hack personal accounts.
What can I do?
For your own protection, observe the age restrictions of online
content. Websites are required by law to add warnings to age-
sensitive content but it is still up to the users to choose whether or not
to view them.
Home Address and Locations
Some online services ask for users’ home address. Some apps can
automatically determine your current location using your device’s GPS
(Global Positioning System) feature. They do this in order to give you
location-specific contents and options. For example, YouTube determines the
user’s location and suggests videos that are relevant to that area.
What’s the risk?
Carelessly sharing your location or home address can ultimately
compromise your physical security because it will tell potential
criminals where you are. Also, because it is usually required
information in online commerce like online shopping, your home
address can be used in identity theft.
What can I do?
Always check if a website or app requires you to submit your address
or allow them to automatically track you. If it is required, then check
the settings if you can hide your address and current location from
other users. If it is not required, then don’t submit it at all.
Phone Numbers
Phone numbers are usually required by many online services in order to
have a direct line to their clients.
 What’s the risk?
Home phone and mobile numbers should not be shared carelessly
since anyone who has your phone number has a direct way to harass,
threaten, or inconvenience you.
What can I do?
Because of the sensitivity of this information, very few apps and
websites insist on getting your phone number. Do not submit your
phone number unless it is absolutely necessary.
Email Address
Almost every website that has a sign-up feature requires an email address to
confirm the user’s identity.
What’s the risk?
Like phone numbers, your email address is a direct link to you. The
practicality and versatility of emails make it the most used and abused
method of communication in the Internet. The most common forms of
Internet fraud such as spamming and phishing (to be discussed later
in this chapter) are done through emails.
What can I do?
You can create multiple email addresses. You can have dedicated
email address for leisure purposes like online gaming and social
media. This email can then be shared and used to sign up to apps and
websites. On the other hand, you can create another one for formal
use like job applications and schoolwork.
Financial information
This includes bank account names, account numbers, credit card numbers
and security details like pin codes and answers to security questions. These
details, especially the credit card number, are used in online commerce.
What’s the risk?
These details can be used to access your financial accounts. Therefore,
anyone who has this information can spend or take the contents of
your bank account or make purchases that will be charged to you.
What can I do?
Treat this information with the same care as you do with your money
because they are as valuable as your money. Don’t do online financial
transactions with suspicious looking websites and merchants. Do a
background check to make sure that the person or website that you
are dealing with is legitimate.
Malware: Online Threats
These are some of the most common types of malicious software or
Malware. Keep in mind that while all of them can spread through the
Internet, some of them also spread through offline means such as flash drives
and local area networks (LAN)
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Online Safety and Security

1. Virus
A virus is a program designed to interfere with your computer, device or
network's normal operation. A virus attaches itself in a program or a file and
like real-life viruses, computer viruses can multiply or make complete copies
of themselves when you copy the program or file that it is attached to.
What can they do?
Because a virus is a program, it can be programmed to do different sorts of
harm to your system. It can slow down your device or computer or network’s
speed by running unwanted processes or it can fill your computer’s memory
with unwanted files. In the worst cases, a virus can overload servers and
cause entire networks to shut down.
How do they spread?
A computer virus can spread whenever a computer makes contact with
another computer. It can spread in a network like LAN or the Internet or
through indirect means like infecting a flash drive or a DVD. Keep in mind
that a virus relies on human action to spread. It is, therefore, possible to have
a virus in your computer and still be uninfected unless your open the file or
program that it is attached to.
2. Worm
A worm is considered as a type of virus. Like a virus, it can make copies of
itself in computers that it comes in contact with.
What can they do?
Like a virus, a worm can harm your system in different ways which can range
from minor annoyances like hiding your icons or major damage like
destroying your files or causing your computer to shut down on it’s own.
How do they spread?
The main difference between viruses and worms is that worms don’t rely on
human action to propagate. A worm will automatically spread and copy itself.
3. Trojan
A Trojan Horse or simply a Trojan is a type of malware that disguises itself as
a useful and/or harmless program or file. Named after the fictional wooden
horse used by the Greeks to defeat Troy, a Trojan’s goal is to get through
your computer’s security features and cause harm once it’s in.
What can they do?
Like a virus, a Trojan can damage your computer or system in different ways,
which include but are not limited to deleting, copying and altering files. It can
also cause harm slowing down system performance.
How do they spread?
Unlike worms, Trojans cannot create copies of themselves. Instead, they pose
as harmless files or programs such as pictures or videos and rely on people
to send, copy, and download them.
4. Spam
A spam is an unwanted and unsolicited message/email.
What can they do?
Spam emails are usually just promotions to sites and services. Though not
normally harmful, large amounts or spam emails are annoying and can use
up your memory space. It is not uncommon to have hundreds or even
thousands of spam in your email address. In the worst of cases, viruses can
also be attached to spam emails.
How do they spread?
People who spread spam or Spammers collect emails using several methods.
The easiest way is to simply guess email addresses though this process can
be automated using programs. They can use programs that search web pages
for email addresses or by hacking mailing lists. It is also known that some
dishonest website owners sell list of their subscribers’ emails to spammers.
5. Adware
An adware is a type of malware that launches unwanted advertisements in
your Internet browser or your desktop.
What can they do?
Other than being majorly bothersome, adware programs can cause your
system to slow down because they initialize automatically and remain
running in the background.
How do they spread?
Adwares are usually included in the installers of other programs or browser
add-ons. Installing these programs and add-ons will also cause the adware to
be installed.
6. Phishing
Derived from the word “fishing”, phishing is the fraudulent practice of
stealing important information from users such as passwords, pin codes and
credit card numbers.
What can they do?
Information stolen via phishing can be used in identity theft and stealing
money. For example, someone can use stolen credit card details for
purchasing items, which will then be charged to the real account holder.
How do they spread?
Phishing is done by tricking people into submitting their personal details. It
can be done by sending emails and offers that imitate legitimate businesses
like banks and credible websites.
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How to Avoid Malware

The risk of falling victim to malware will always be present as long as
mankind uses interconnected digital devices. However, there are precautions
that can be taken to minimize this risk.
1. Install an anti-virus program
An anti-virus program can detect and delete virus in your computer. It can
also block malware before they infect your system. Many trusted anti-virus
companies give out free versions of their products. Try them and find one
that suits your needs.
2. Do not submit your email address to suspicious looking websites
You don’t have to sign up every time you are asked to. To avoid getting spam,
weigh the benefits of signing up against the risk of compromising your email
address.
3. Don’t fall for obvious tricks
Fake prizes are probably the bread and butter of online scams. When you
receive an email or see a pop-up that says you’ve won something, you can
almost always be sure that it’s not true. As a rule, do not believe anyone who
tells you that you won a prize for a contest that you didn’t join.
4. Don’t open spam emails
Spam emails are normally obvious. Delete these emails immediately and
block the sender.
5. Do not click suspicious looking links
If you see a link that promises a prize or offers something that is too good to
be true, like a free iPad or ways to get free Internet access, it may direct you
to a website that has malware. As a rule, do not trust any ad or message that
says you’ve won something in a contest that you did not join.
6. Read before you install.
Sometimes even legitimate and useful programs come with unwanted
“freebies”. These so called freebies are often small programs that may alter
your computer’s settings or automatically subscribe you to unwanted
services and newsletters. Read through the installation steps to see if another
program will be installed. There is usually an option to leave out the freebies
and install only the main program.
7. Do not download pirated contents
Because pirated files and software are unregulated, they tend to be a
breeding ground for malware. Also, piracy is against the law. (to be discussed
in the next chapter)
8. Install an ad-blocker
 Ad-blockers are browser add-ons that prevent ads from being displayed in
your browser. Most ad-blockers are free.

References:
"Comcast Rolls Out New Online Safety and Security Survey." Entertainment Close-up, 11 Oct. 2011. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/
apps/doc/A269292682/GPS?u=phama&sid=GPS&xid=72e6f096. Accessed 9 July 2020.

"Internet Threats." Encyclopedia of Small Business, edited by Virgil L. Burton, III, 5th ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2017, pp. 608-611. Gale eBooks, https://
link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX6062700319/GPS?u=phama&sid=GPS&xid=13ab2b0a. Accessed 9 July 2020.

"Malware." Issues in Cyberspace: From Privacy to Piracy, edited by Robert Curley, Britannica Educational Publishing with Rosen Educational
Services, 2012, pp. 75-83. Computing and Connecting in the 21st Century. Gale eBooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX4047000049/GVRL?
u=phama&sid=GVRL&xid=0e760104. Accessed 9 July 2020.