LIVING IN THE IT ERA

|SEMI-FINALS
2nd SEMESTER
|SEBUA, NOELYN B. S.Y. 2023-2024

INTERNET THREATS

1.Hacking
 Hacking is a term used to describe actions taken by someone to gain unauthorized access to a computer. The
availability of information online on the tools, techniques, and malware makes it easier for even non-technical
people to undertake malicious activities
What it can do:
 Find weaknesses (or pre-existing bugs) in your security settings and exploit them in order to access your
information.
 Install a Trojan Horse, providing a back door for hackers to enter and search for your information.

2.Malware
 Malware is one of the common ways to infiltrate or damage your computer. Malicious software that infects your
computer, such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and adware.
What it can do:
 Intimidate you with scareware, which is usually a pop-up message that tells you your computer has a security
problem or other false information
 Reformat the hard drive of your computer causing you to lose all your information.
 Alter or delete files
 Steal sensitive information.
 Send emails on your behalf
 Take control of your computer and all the software running on it.

3.Pharming
 Pharming is a common type of online fraud.
 A means to point you to a malicious and illegitimate website by redirecting the legitimate URL. Even if the URL
is entered correctly, it can still be redirected to a fake website.
What it can do:
 Convince you that the site is real and legitimate by spoofing or looking almost identical to the actual site down to
the smallest details. You may enter your personal information and unknowingly give it to someone with malicious
intent.

4.Phishing
 Phishing is used most often by cyber criminals because it's easy to execute and can produce the results they're
looking for with very little effort.
 Fake emails, text messages and websites created to look like they're from authentic companies. They're sent by
criminals to steal personal and financial information from you. This is also known as "spoofing"

Phishing
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What it can do:
 Trick you into giving them information by asking to update, validate or confirm your account. It is often presented
in a manner that seems official and intimidating, to encourage you to take an action.
 Provides cyber criminals with your username and passwords so that they can access your accounts and steal your
credit card numbers.

5.Ransomware
 Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to your computer or your files and display message that
demands payment in order for the restriction to be removed. The two most common means of infection appear to
be phishing emails contain malicious attachments and website pop-up advertisements.
What it can do:
There are two common types of ransomware:
 Lockscreen ransomware: displays an image that prevents you from accessing your computer.
 Encryption ransomware: Encrypts files on your system's hard drive and sometimes on shared network drives,
USB drives, external hard drives, and even some cloud storage drives preventing you from opening them.
 Ransomware will display a notification stating that your computer or data have been locked and demanding a
payment be made for you to regain access.
 Do not pay the ransom. These treats are meant to scare and intimidate you, and they do not come from a law
enforcement agency. Even if you submit payment, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your
system.
 If your computer has been infected (i.e. you are unable to access your computer or your files have been
encrypted), contact a reputable computer technician or specialist to find out whether your computer can be
repaired, and your data retrieved.
 In order to lessen the impact of a ransomware infection, be sure to regularly back-up your data with a removable
external storage drive. It's possible that your files might be irretrievable; having an up-to-date backup could be
invaluable.

6. Spam
 Spam is one of the more common methods of both sending information out and collecting it from unsuspecting
people.
 The mass distribution of unsolicited messages, advertising or pornography to addresses which can be easily found
on the internet through things like social networking sites, company websites and personal blogs.
What you can do:
 Annoy you with unwanted junk mail.
 Create a burden for communication service providers and businesses to filter electronic messages.
 Phish for your information by tricking you into following links or entering details with too-goof-to be-true offers
and promotions.
 Provide a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud and threats to your privacy.

7.Spyware (Spyware & Adware)

 Spyware and adware are often used by third parties to infiltrate your computer.
What it is:

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  Software that collects personal information about you without you knowing. They often come in the form of a
'free' download and are installed automatically with or without your consent. These are difficult to remove and can
infect your computer.
What you can do:
 Collect information about you without you knowing about it and give it to third parties.
 Send your usernames, passwords, surfing habits, list of application you've downloaded, setting, and even the
version of your operating system to third parties.
 Change the way your computer runs without your knowledge.
 Take you to unwanted sites or inundate you with uncontrollable pop-up ads.

8.Trojan Horses
 A trojan horse may not be a term you're familiar with, but there's a good chance you or someone you know has
been affected by one.
 A malicious program that is disguised as, or embedded within, legitimate software.
 It is an executable file that will install itself and run automatically once it's downloaded.
What you can do:
 Delete your files.
 Use your computer to hack another computer.
 Watch you through your web cam
 Log your keystrokes (such as a credit card number you entered in an online purchase).
 Record usernames, passwords and other personal information.

9.Viruses
 Most people have heard of computer viruses, but not many know exactly what they are or what they do.
 Malicious computer programs that are often sent as an email attachment or a download with the intent of infecting
your computer, as well as the computers of download with the intent of infecting your computer, as well as the
computers of everyone in your contact list. Just visiting a site can start an automatic download of a virus.
What they can do:
 Send spam
 Provide criminals with access to your computer and contact lists.
 Scan and find personal information like passwords on your computer.
 Hijack your web browser.
 Disable your security settings
 Displays unwanted ads.
 When a program is running, the virus attached to it could infiltrate your hard drive and also spread to USB keys
and external hard drives.

How will you know if your computer is infected?

 It takes longer than usual for your computer to start up, it restarts on its own or doesn't start up at all.
 It takes a long time to launch a program.
 Files and data have disappeared.
 Your system and programs crash constantly.
 Web pages are slow to load.

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  Your computer screen looks distorted.
 Programs are running without your control.
 If you suspect a problem, make sure your security software is up to date and run to check for infection.

10. Wi-Fi Eavesdropping

 Wi-Fi eavesdropping is another method used by cyber criminals to capture personal information.
 Virtual "listening in" on information that's shared over an unsecure (not encrypted) Wi-Fi network
What you can do:
 Potentially access your computer with the right equipment
 Steal your personal information including logins and passwords

11. Worms
 Worms are a common threat to computers and the internet as a whole.
 A worm, unlike a virus, goes to work on its own without attaching itself to files or programs.
 It lives in your computer memory, doesn't damage or alter the hard drive and propagates by sending itself to other
computers in a network-whether within a company or the internet itself.
What you can do:
 Spread to everyone in your contact list
 Cause tremendous amount of damage by shutting down parts of the internet, wreaking havoc on an internal
network and costing companies' enormous amounts of lost revenue.

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