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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. Online, you can refrain from using your full name
especially in apps and sites where they are not really required.

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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

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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.
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.

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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.

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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

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Internet, some of them also spread through offline means such as flash
drives and local area networks (LAN)

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.

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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

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And 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.

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.

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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 s 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

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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.

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