Online Safety, Security, Ethics, and Etiquette

This lesson was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master the Online Safety, Security, Ethics and Etiquette. The scope of this lesson permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The module has one lesson, namely: "Lesson 2 – Online Safety, Security, Ethics and Etiquette".

After going through this module, you are expected to:

name the various online threats;
identify the online safety measures; and
consider one’s and others’ reputation when using the Internet.

From the previous lesson, we've learned that there are three versions of Web Technologies: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. Further, we said that as the world of ICT continues to evolve, the industry has developed several innovations that cater to the needs of the people whether it is for business or personal use. These trends in ICT in today's generation focuses on technological convergence, social media, mobile technologies, and assistive media.

The internet has radically changed the way people interact with the world. They have accounts on different online platforms; some have unlimited Internet access, and some are active users of the web. Yet along this opportunity are the new risks or threats that the Internet may bring. Hence, online safety or Internet safety is an emergent concern for children.

Online Safety and Security

The Internet, truly, is a powerful tool. It can be used to promote your business, gain new friends, and stay in touch with the old ones. It is also a source of entertainment through games, online communities, and everything in between. But like most things in this world, there is always “other side of the coin”. The internet is one of the most dangerous places especially if you do not know what you are doing with it. But there is no need to worry; it is never that late. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, you can consider how you go about your use of the Internet.

Let us SEE each item below and see how risky it is to share them.

!!! The Internet is defined as the information superhighway. This means that anyone has access to this highway, can place information, and can grab that information. This is why social networking sites like Facebook continue to improve their security features. The threat of cybercrime is very real. Whatever information we share today could affect our future. !!!

Tips to Stay Safe Online (tap to see)

The Internet is a public place, and it is up to you to protect yourself. Here are some tips to help you stay safe when using the internet.

Be mindful of what you share online and what site you share it to.
Do not just accept terms and conditions; read it.
Know the security features of the social networking site you use. By keeping your profile private, search engines will not be able to scan your profile.
Do not share your password with anyone.
Avoid logging in to public networks/Wi-Fi. Browsing in “incognito (or private) mode will NOT protect you from hackers.
Do not talk to strangers whether online or face-to-face/
Never post anything about a future vacation. It is similar to posting, “Rob my house at this date.”
Add friends you know in real life.
Avoid visiting untrusted websites.
Install and update antivirus software on your computer. Use only one anti-virus software to avoid conflicts.
If you have Wi-Fi at home, make it a private network by adding a password.
Avoid downloading anything from untrusted websites.
Buy the software, do not use pirated ones.
Do not reply or click links from suspicious emails.
Make Online Purchases from Secure Sites

Most people would dispute that there is no such thing as private over the Internet and they may be right. Some hackers can find a backdoor even if your profile is already set to private. You have no control over whoever is looking at your friend's screen whenever they open your profile or chat with you.

Internet Threats

Here are some of the threats you should be aware of when using the Internet:
Note: Some underlined items, when tapped/clicked, will redirect you to a YouTube video for a better understanding of the context.

1. Malware – or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer user.

Virus - a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one computer to another (internet, local networks, FDs, CDs, etc.)
Worm - a malicious program that transfers from one computer to another by any type of means. Ex. ILOVEYOU Worm - The malware originated in the Pandacan neighborhood of Manila in the Philippines on May 5, 2000.
Trojan - a malicious program that disguises itself as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hackers to get your information.
Spyware - a program that runs in the background without you knowing it (thus called “spy”). It has the ability to monitor what you are currently doing and typing through keylogging. Ex. Keylogger – used to record keystrokes done by the user. This is done to steal their password or any other sensitive information. The key logger software typically uses a log file to store its recording.
Adware - a program designed to send you advertisements, mostly as pop-ups.
Ransomware - or ransom software is a type of malicious software from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.

2. Spam - an unwanted email mostly from bots or advertisers. It can be used to send malware.

3. Phishing - its goal is to acquire sensitive personal information like passwords and credit card details. This is done by sending you an e-mail that will direct the user to visit a fake website and be asked to update his/her username, password, credit card or personal information.

4. Password Attacks - this happens when a third party is trying to to gain access to your systems by cracking a user's password. This type of attack does not usually require any type of malicious code or software to run on the system. Attackers use software to try and crack you password. This can be prevented by using a strong password to keep you from this attack.

5. Malvertising - this is done by malicious actors that upload infected ads to different websites using an advertising network. These malicious ads are then disseminated to sites that match certain keywords and search criteria.

6. Rogue Software - is a malware that pretends as legitimate and necessary security software that will keep your system safe. Rogue security software designers make pop-up windows that look like legitimate alerts. These alerts advise the user to download a security software, agree to terms or update their current to system to stay protected. By clicking "YES" to any of these scenarios, the rogue software is downloaded to your computer. An updated firewall is best defense. It is also good to install a trusted anti-virus or anti-spyware software program that can detect threats like rogue software.

A STRONG PASSWORD

Use a mix of alphabetical and numeric, a mixture of upper and lowercase, and special characters when creating your unique passphrase. Use unique passwords or passphrases: You should have a unique password for each of your accounts. This way, if one of your accounts is compromised, your other accounts remain secure. See the photo below for the sample of a weak and strong passwords:

Protecting Reputations Online

Here are the things you might want to consider before posting something over the internet:

Before your post something on the web, ask these questions to yourself: Would you want your parents or grandparents to see it? Would you want your future boss to see it?
If you feel that a post can affect your or another’s reputations, ask the one who posted it to pull it down or report it as inappropriate.

Copyright Infringement

It is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission for a usage where such permission is required.

Here are some tips that could help you avoid copyright infringement:

Always assume that the work is copyrighted.
Do not copy, share or alter without seeking permission.
Review and retain licensing agreements.
Consider buying content.
Give credit to the original author of the page or information.

Case Study

Read and understand the text below.

WHAT THE? —Online scams and identity Theft

Transcript:

“Well, I downloaded a lot of stuff to my computer—heaps of stuff actually: music, programs, games. I guess in the back of my mind I’ve always been worried about security but I didn’t think I could do anything about it, or anything that bad could happen to me. I guess when you’re connected and doing frequent downloads you never know what’s coming down your phone line.

One day I downloaded this particular program, and after that my computer seemed to be a lot slower. It was taking forever for pages to load and even normal things like writing an email or writing a Word document would take a long time. I didn’t think too much of it ‘cos my computer was getting pretty old and I had heaps of stuff on it. But then my home page got changed to some free download site and when I checked my internet settings I found that they’d all been changed. But things kept on getting worse. Whenever I went online to the internet I got bombarded with pop-ups and, like, my computer would just crash and I would have to manually reset it.

Then things got really serious. I couldn’t log in to my email account and I discovered that someone was using my internet banking. I had anti-virus software installed on my computer but it just wasn’t picking up anything.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that when I downloaded this free program a couple of months ago, a smaller program downloaded and installed itself onto my computer. But, I had no idea.

This spyware program monitored all my internet activity and the keylogger recorded all the keystrokes I made on the computer such as my log-in, my passwords, and all the emails I sent to my mates. It then sent all this information to the software developer. I ended up taking my machine to a computer specialist who was able to find and remove all the spyware. I had to contact my bank and my ISP to change my account details.

You know, even free stuff comes at a cost nowadays and I know it sounds corny, but if it’s too good to be true then it probably is. Before I download anything now I make sure there’s no adware or spyware associated with it and I read the user agreement statement. There are websites online that, sort of, help you out with this and can offer great reviews and advice on the program and company that you’re downloading from. If it’s free, there’s usually a catch. I guess I learned the hard way.” - Brian

Reference:

Empowerment Technologies First Edition.(2016).Sampaloc Manila:Rex Bookstore, Inc.

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