Embedded Files
In Unit 4, we learned about cybersecurity and how to prevent ourselves from being hacked. A simple action like cliking on a link from what you think is a trustworthy email is enough to give someone access to your personal data, which you could potentially lose forever. We learned about real situations of cybersecurity threats, and we also took a course to be able to recognize suspicious activities to help us avoid becoming part of one of the news articles ourselves.
Recent Cybersecurity Threats:
Recent Cybersecurity Threats:
College Hacker:
College Hacker:
A 20-year-old college student says he was addicted to hacking. This led him to hacking PowerSchool, a software that affected over 60 million students and staff nationwide from the comfort of his own dorm room. He said he was grateful that the FBI came because he would have never stopped if they hadn't. The article talks about how we go into hacking, and he said it was "easy, easy money," and that it was good enough for him as a young, 13-year-old kid. He takes full responsibility and feels bad for what he did. PowerSchool says that since the attack, their focus is now on protecting data. They filed an incident report to see all that was affected. Roblox says they use anti-cheat systems to prevent people learning how to hack or code through the game. Personally, we can upload our data to the cloud. This should all help to prevent an attack in the future.
Source Evaluation:
Source Evaluation:
Who published the content? - Alanna Flood, a reporter of WMUR
Where was it published? - WMUR ABC
When was it published? - April 14th, 2026
The truthfulness and integrity of the facts - The article has a link at the top that says, "Editorial Standards," and it describes the lengths they go through to ensure what they publish is accurate, including using multiple sources and fixing mistakes as quickly as possible. This leads me to believe the source is accurate. Or at least, as accurate as it can be.
How is it written and presented? - It is written as a news article. What this means to me is that it has a serious tone, it includes many single line quotes, and plenty of recommended articles they have also published for you to read next. The way they lay out the information is in short, simple paragraphs but they leave topics unfinished as they jump to others to keep you reading until the end.
Links and Citations - https://www.wmur.com/article/college-student-hack-powerschool-41426/71017881
Brockton hospital ransomware attack:
Brockton hospital ransomware attack:
Anubis admitted to the ransomware attack on Brockton hospital on April 6th, 2026. They stole data, encrypted files, and threatened to leak it all if the hospital did not pay the ransom. Ambulances were forced to go to other locations, and cancer treatments had to be canceled. They said they will continue "downtime procedures" over the course of two weeks, which shows they were prepared in case something like this would happen. While certain procedures are able to take place like lab work and food services, there is a delay in the lab work, and the hospital remains unable to accommodate dietary restrictions for patients that have them. The article also says the staff is using paper instead of computers, which keeping a log of would be useful. Using anti-virus software could prevent an attack, and frequently installing patches can help with the relativity of existing software (CSIT Cybersecurity Training source).
Source evaluation:
Source evaluation:
Who published the content? - Steve Alder, editor in chief
Where was it published? - The HIPAA Journal
When was it published? April 15th, 2026
The truthfulness and integrity of the facts - In the author section, it specifically says Alder and the other writers are "responsible for the factual and legal accuracy of all content published on The HIPAA Journal." The Journal is run by experts, so I am led to believe the source is accurate.
How is it written and presented? - The article consists of several short paragraphs. The information is presented clearly to inform the reader of a ransomware attack against a hospital. There are no ads, except for occasional links to other aspects of the HIPAA Journal.
Links and Citations - https://www.hipaajournal.com/signature-healthcare-brockton-hospital-cyberattack/
This article contained no images, so I used the logo :)
Cybersecurity training:
Cybersecurity training:
I completed the CSIT Cybersecurity Training. I learned how easy it is to be hacked. I plan on being more careful when giving my email or accessing links emailed to me. I will make sure my data is on the cloud so it is harder to access by hackers or viruses. If I am able, I would also like to install anti-virus software on my phone or laptop. I'll look into making that a reality.
Lessons Learned:
Lessons Learned:
I learned overall that being hacked has a lot to do with what I do with my data and what links I click on. I have learned to be more skeptical of links and emails, and I intend to inform my friends and family of suspicious activity. Just because a sources seems legit doesn't mean it is.
Glossary:
Glossary:
Unit 4
Digital Privacy
- This has to do with protecting personal information and rights digitally, and it includes how to properly handle and use data to keep it confidential. https://digitalprivacy.ieee.org/publications/topics/what-is-digital-privacy-and-its-importance/
Encryption
- “The process of transforming readable plain text into unreadable ciphertext to mask sensitive information from unauthorized users.” https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/encryption
https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/encryption
Virtual Private Network (VPN):
- Encrypts internet traffic through the VPN server to help disguise your identity and activity on the internet. https://www.howtogeek.com/133680/htg-explains-what-is-a-vpn/
Privacy Policy
- “a legal document that explains how an organization handles any customer, client or employee information gathered in its operations.” https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/privacy-policy
Malware
- “Malware is malicious software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.” https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-malware?msockid=2e9225ca72ea6137235132f073eb60f0
Social Engineering
- “Social engineering attacks manipulate people into sharing information that they shouldn’t share, downloading software that they shouldn’t download, visiting websites they shouldn’t visit, sending money to criminals or making other mistakes that compromise their personal or organizational security.” https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/social-engineering
Phishing
- “Phishing attacks aim to steal or damage sensitive data by deceiving people into revealing personal information like passwords and credit card numbers.” https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-phishing?msockid=2e9225ca72ea6137235132f073eb60f0
Ransomware
- “Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, that cybercriminals use to block access to, destroy, or publish a victim’s critical data unless a ransom is paid.” https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/business/security-101/what-is-ransomware?msockid=2e9225ca72ea6137235132f073eb60f0
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