Online Safety, Security and Netiquette

Online safety refers to the practices and precautions that should be

observed when using the internet to ensure that the users as well as
their computers and personal information are safe from crimes
associated with using the internet. Below are personal information that
must be kept confidential. There are numerous delinquencies that can
be committed on the internet such as stalking, identity theft, privacy
violations, and harassment.
 To avoid these online crimes, follow the following online safety
measures:

1. Never give any personal information out about yourself over the internet.
2. Do not give any banking or sensitive information unless you are sure that
it is a reputable business having a secure service. To make sure that you
are in a secured network, the website address should begin with “https://’
as opposed to “http://”. Never access your accounts by following an email
link, instead type your URL by yourself.
3. Never open messages or attachments from someone you do not know.
4. Regularly review your privacy settings in your online accounts to make
sure you are not sharing important personal information.
5. When using a public computer terminal, be sure to delete your browsing
data before leaving.
6. Keep your software updated to avoid security holes.
7. Do not download or install software or anything on your computer or cell
phone that is unknown to you.
Netiquette is a combination of the words network and etiquette. It is a set of rules for
behaving properly online. Below are the 10 rules of netiquette:
 Kinds of Online Threats
• Online threat is deemed any malicious act that attempts to gain access to
a computer network without authorization or permission from the owners.
These are usually done by computer hackers who uses the World Wide Web to
facilitate cybercrime.
• Web threats use multiple types of malware and fraud, all of which utilize HTTP
or HTTPS protocols, but may also employ other protocols and components,
such as links in email or Instant Messaging apps, or any malware attachments
on servers that access the Web.
• They benefit cybercriminals by stealing information for subsequent sale and
help absorb infected PCs into botnets.
• Web threats pose a broad range of risks, including financial damages, identity
theft, loss of confidential information/data, theft of network resources,
damaged brand/personal reputation, and erosion of consumer confidence in
e-commerce and online banking.
 Phishing
happens when an email is sent from an internet criminal
disguised as an email from a legitimate, trustworthy source.
The message is meant to lure you into revealing sensitive or
confidential information.

Pharming
happens when a hacker (or “pharmer”) directs an internet
user to a fake website instead of a legitimate one. These
“spoofed” sites can capture a victim’s confidential
information, including usernames, passwords, and credit card
data, or install malware on their computer. Pharmers usually
focus on websites in the financial sector, including banks,
online payment platforms, or other e-commerce destinations.
 Internet Scam

refers to someone using internet services or software

to defraud or take advantage of victims, typically for
financial gain. Cybercriminals may contact potential
victims through personal or work email accounts, social
networking sites, dating apps, or other methods in
attempts to obtain financial or other valuable personal
information. Online scams may come in various forms
such as lottery scam, charity fraud scams, job offer
scams, and online dating scams to name a few.
 Malware or malicious software

Any program or file that is harmful to a

computer user. Here are the most common offenders in
the rogues’ gallery of Malware:
• Adware (advertising supported software) is
unwanted software designed to throw
advertisements up on your screen.
Example, pop-up ads and banner ads.
• Spyware is malware that secretly observes the
computer user’s activities without permission and
reports it to the software’s author.
Example is a keylogger
Malware or malicious software

• Virus and Worms are malwares that attach to another

program and, when executed—unintentionally by the
user—replicates itself by modifying other computer
programs and infecting them with its own bits of code.
• Trojan, or Trojan horse, is one of the most dangerous
malware types. It usually represents itself as something
useful in order to trick you. Once it’s on your system, the
attackers behind the Trojan gain unauthorized access to the
affected computer. From there, Trojans can be used to steal
financial information or install threats like viruses and
ransomware.
• Ransomware is a form of malware that locks you out of
your device and/or encrypts your files, then forces you to
pay a ransom to get them back.
 Spams
Unsolicited emails, instant messages coming from recipients
that are not granted verifiable permission for the message to be
sent. Spam messages can be damaging if you open or respond
to it.
Cyberstalking
refers to the use of the internet or other electronic device to
harass or stalk individuals or organizations.
Cyberstalking
refers to the act of tormenting, harassing, or embarrassing
another person using the internet.

Cyberstalking
Spoofing happens when someone or something pretends to be
something else to gain our confidence, get access to our systems,
steal data, steal money, or spread malware.
 Effective Internet Research

The Internet has made our lives easier especially in terms of doing research.
By browsing the internet, we can access limitless topics. Web-based catalogs
are available in many libraries to assist researchers in locating printed books,
journals, government documents and other materials. The biggest obstacle
facing all researchers on the internet is how to effectively and efficiently
access the vast amount of information available (The Internet: Research
Tools, 2013)
 Effective Internet Research
websites used for retrieval of data, files, or
Search Engines documents from data bases. Some search engines
we use today are
 Effective Internet Research
A URL is one type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
Anatomy of a URL It is a generic term for all types of names and
addresses that refer to objects on the world wide web.
Knowing the URL endings will give you clues to who is
sponsoring the website and help evaluate the sources

1. Protocol 2. Subdomain 3. Domain 4. Top-level Domain

5. Folders/Paths 7. Page Named anchor
 Search Skills and Tools
1. Boolean Logic- narrows, broadens, or eliminates search term.

Boolean “or” Boolean “and” Boolean “not”

this operator will find this operator will find
this operator will pages that do not
pages that include retrieve only pages
either of the search include search term
containing both terms immediately following it.
terms.
 Search Skills and Tools
2. Phase Searching – is used to search for famous quotes, proper
names, recommendations, etc. It encloses the phrase in quotation
marks.

3. Plus (+) – indicates that the word after the sign is a required word
must be found in search. Example: +fire

4. Minus (–) sign – indicates to exclude a word from your search that is
not required on the result. Example: Jaguar speed –car
 Search Skills and Tools
5. Ampersand (@) is used to find social tags. Example: @SteveJobs

6. Hashtag (#) is used to find popular hashtags. Example: #LawOfClassroom

7. Finding Documents – using the filetype refines the search for documents on
the web.
o filetype:pdf o filetype:doc o filetype:xls

8. Searching Site – the sites find webpage from a website.

Ex.: National Geographic information in Australia
Search: Australia site: NationalGeographic.com
Evaluating Sites
The web provides access to some excellent
information and can also give access to
those that are irrelevant and outdated.
Here is some checklist that you can use to
evaluate your website.
01 Authority- It reveals that the person, institution or agency responsible for a site has the
qualifications and knowledge to do so.

02 Purpose- The purpose of the information presented in the site should be clear.
Some sites are meant to inform, persuade, state an opinion, entertain, or parody
something or someone.

03 Coverage- This refers to how comprehensive the website is in their discussion of certain
topics.

04 Currency- It refers to: (1) how current the information presented is, and (2) how often
the site is updated or maintained. It is important to know when a site was created, when
it was last updated, and if all of the links are current.

05 Objectivity- Objective sites present information with a minimum of bias.

01 Accuracy- It refers to the credibility of the website.

Empowerment
Technology

THANK
YOU
Prepared by: Ms. Ivy L. Bello