LESSON 3:

INTERNET THREATS

Course Title: Living in the IT Era

Course Code: GE Elec 2 Time
allotment: 3 hours
Course Title: Living in the IT Era
Course Code: GE Elec 2 Time
allotment: 3 hours
Reporter: Joyce Antonette Regodo
Instructor:
Course Title: Living in the IT Era
Course Code: GE-LIE
Time Allotment: 1hr

I. Objectives
After successful completion of this lesson, the students will be able to;
1) Understand the nature and varieties of internet threats.
2) Discuss how internet threats function and spread.
3) Develop the knowledge and skills to proactively address internet security risks.

II. Introduction
By simply using the internet, we are constantly being bombarded by multiple
types of internet threats. All types of internet threats apply various forms of malware
and fraud, in which every part of it uses HTTP or HTTPS protocols, and utilizes other
protocols and components, such as links in email or instant messaging, or malware
attachments that have access to the Web.

III. Lecture and Discussion of the Lesson

What is an Internet Threat?

- An internet threat is any potential risk or danger that can arise from using the internet
and digital technologies.
Examples:
Hacking
It is a term used to describe actions taken by someone to gain unauthorized access to a computer.
The availability of information online on tools, techniques, and malware makes it easier for even non-
technical people to undertake malicious activities. It is the process by which cyber criminals gain access
to your computer.
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.
Malware
It is one of the more 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.
Pharming
It 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.
Phishing
It 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".
What it does:
 Trick you into giving them information by asking you to update, validate or confirm
your account. It is often presented in a manner than seems official and intimidating, to
encourage you to take action.
 Provides cyber criminals with your username and passwords so that they can access your
accounts (your online bank account, shopping accounts, etc.) and steal your credit card
numbers.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to your computer or your files and
displays a message that demands payment in order for the restriction to be removed. The two most
common means of infection appear to be phishing emails that contain malicious attachments and website
pop-up advertisements.
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.
What it can do:
 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. Sometimes the
notification states that authorities have detected illegal activity on your computer, and
that the payment is a fine to avoid prosecution.
What you can do:
 Do not pay the ransom. These threats 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.
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 it can do:
 Annoy you with unwanted junk mail.
 Create a burden for communications service providers and businesses to filter electronic
messages.
 Phish for your information by tricking you into following links or entering details with
too-good-to-be-true offers and promotions.
 Provide a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud and threats to your privacy.
Spyware (Spyware & Adware)
Spyware and adware are often used by third parties to infiltrate your computer.
What it is:
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 with viruses.
What it can do:
 Collect information about you without you knowing about it and give it to third parties.
 Sone your usernames, passwords, surfing habits, list of arications you've downloaded
settings, and even the version of your operating system to third parties.
 Take you to unwanted sites or inundate you with uncontrollable pop-up ads.
 Change the way your computer runs without your knowledge.
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 it can do:
 Delete your files.
 Use your computer to hack other computers.
 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.
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 everyone in your contact list. Just visiting
a site can start an automatic download of
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.
 Display 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. Any attachment you create using this
program and send to someone else could also infect them with the virus.
How will you know if your computer is infected?
Here are a few things to check for:
 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.
 The homepage you set on your web browser is different (note that this could be caused by
Adware that has been installed on your computer).
 Web pages are slow to load.
 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 it to
check for infection. If nothing is found, or if you are unsure of what to do, seek technical
help.
Wi-Fi Eavesdropping
WiFi 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) WiFi network.

What it can do:

 Potentially access your computer with the right equipment.
 Steal your personal information including logins and passwords.
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.
What they can do:
 Spread to everyone in your contact list.
 Cause a 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