Cyber Threats: How Can Students Stay Safe Online?

There is no denying that cybersecurity is a top concern for everyone in today's society, including organizations, governments, and individuals. However, a specific group of individuals is particularly at risk from cybercrime. This might be related to how much time they spend online, which is frequently unsupervised. Young students should be careful online today due to the dangers they may encounter.

Students today are likely to be more technologically savvy than their parents. Additionally, it is simple to overestimate one's capacity for staying secure given how much time one spends online, whether on social media or for academic study. Although, It's important to keep in mind that even if a youngster or student is comfortable using technology and the internet, they might not always be aware of the numerous risks to their safety and the confidentiality of their data that the internet poses.

As a result, it has become increasingly important to talk to students about cyber safety.

What is a Cyber Threat?

The term "cyber threat" refers to an act that threatens to damage, steal, or disrupt a company's digital life in a negative way. There are many types of cyber threats, including computer viruses, data breaches, Denial of Service attacks, and others.

A cyber threat can also be defined as the possibility of a successful cyber attack with the intention of stealing sensitive data, injuring a computer network, or gaining unauthorized access to a computer system. Cyber dangers can arise from trusted users within an organization or from unknown parties in remote regions. (Tunggal, A.T. 2022)

Where Do Cyber Threats Come From?

There are numerous threats coming from cyberspace, including:

Hostile Nation-States

Among the emerging cyber threats are propaganda, vandalism, espionage, disruption of vital infrastructure and even human casualties. In comparison to other threat actors, government-sponsored programs are becoming more complex and more dangerous. Their increasing capabilities have the potential to do extensive, long-term harm to the national security of numerous countries, including the United States. The greatest risk comes from hostile nation-states, as they are capable of using advanced technology to attack the most challenging targets, including classified networks, electrical grids, and gas control valves.

Corporate Spies and Organized Crime Organizations

Using industrial intelligence, corporate spies and organized criminal groups can steal trade secrets and commit massive financial crimes. The majority of the time, these parties are focused on generating a profit or restricting a company's capacity to generate a profit by targeting competitors' vital infrastructure, acquiring trade secrets, or getting access to and using extortion to obtain information.  (Uberoi, A. n.d.)

‍Malicious Insiders

‍‍A common source of cybercrime is malicious insiders. Because they could already have permission to access the data, insiders frequently don't need a high level of technical expertise to reveal critical information. Third-party suppliers and staff members who may unintentionally inject malware into systems or who may log into a secure S3 bucket, extract its contents, and post them online in order to cause a data breach are also considered insider risks. Look over your S3 permissions before someone else does.

Hackers

A zero-day exploit could be used by malicious attackers to gain unauthorized access to data. Hackers may breach computer systems for the sake of competition or bragging rights. Previously, this needed a great level of expertise. Nowadays, sophisticated attacks are made easy to execute by downloading automated attack scripts and protocols from the Internet.

Terrorist Groups

Terrorist organizations are utilizing cyberattacks more frequently to harm national interests. They are less skilled at cyberattacks and are less likely than nation-states to use cyber methods. Terrorist organizations are anticipated to pose significant cyber dangers as more technically savvy generations join their ranks.

Why Should Students be Concerned about Cybersecurity?

Some might believe that, collectively, students aren't particularly exposed to ransomware or cyberattacks. They do not have a large credit history or significant financial assets to steal. However, this might be the real cause for caution. According to Consumer Reports statistics, students are more vulnerable to identity theft because they do not have a credit history.

Malicious actors may find it simpler to conceal illegal and questionable transactions by assuming the identity of a young student. A social security number is thus a valuable item that can be stolen. Additionally, malware and viruses can harm your gadgets and delete data.  (Uberoi, A. n.d.)

Types of Cyber Threats for Students

Students use many gadgets and spend a lot of time online, possibly far more than their elder siblings, which is one of the biggest risk factors for them. They make use of wearable technology, laptops, and smartphones. Due to all of this, there are more options for thieves to use to steal personal data.

Following is a list of the Top 4 types of cyberattacks students should know about:

1. Phishing:

Threats, scams, and deception based on current events are quite common online. Young people will be exposed to them through phishing scams just like adults. Phishers deceive users into disclosing personal information. If they don't prove their identities, they could be pressured to log into an account in order to get quick cash or blackmailed with having their accounts destroyed.

Scammers frequently utilize products that are popular among kids because they are dependable and well-known. Make sure the questions posed by social networks and online game retailers make sense to students.

2. Man-in-the-Middle:

This is an attack against the process of sending information. A hacker may interfere when two parties share information. Even with a basic understanding of the internet, it can be highly harmful because the victim is frequently unaware of the attack.

3. Malware:

Harmful software, including viruses, worms, and spyware, installs itself on a computer when a user clicks on a fake website or attachment. A person gets malware when they become infected with a virus that can be used to locate them and steal their information.

Another method of youngster surveillance is the use of computer malware, which can turn a device into spyware and record every action the child takes on it or within their home network.

As a result, your child is vulnerable to sexual exploitation or, worse, identity theft. When children receive internet links to phoney websites that can steal their information without them knowing it, that poses the final cybersecurity risk for them.

4. Brute force:

These attacks frequently target businesses rather than people. This implies that criminals frequently try a variety of passwords before selecting the best one. The majority of the time, the human mistake is not the root cause of these serious security breaches because they have malevolent intent.

Typically, the first three sorts of attacks are what students need to be concerned about. They occur most frequently because they are the simplest to release, especially on unsuspecting targets.  (Uberoi, A. n.d.)

Cybersafety tips for students to stay safe online

1. Avoid Public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi networks are risky since they are not password-protected. Your data is vulnerable to identity theft and man-in-the-middle assaults when you utilize them. The best choice is to never utilize open networks. (HDFCErgo. n.d.)

2. Always opt for Two-Factor Authentication: By using two levels of protection, your account will be protected by the third level of security even if a hacker is successful in guessing your password.

3. Be careful when clicking on any website or pop-up: Be careful not to click on links from strangers and ignore messages from unknown sources. Make sure the URL is encrypted and secure before clicking on it.

4. Use strong passwords: Use only strong, unique passwords that are challenging to crack after multiple tries. Use numbers, symbols, and other characters rather than your name, phone number, or date of birth as your password. (Uberoi, A. n.d.).

5. Review the software updates to see if they are still relevant: Not every software patch or update brings in new features. They also deal with weaknesses or security gaps. In order to avoid ignoring update warnings, remind your kids to run updates periodically.

6. Access only secure websites: Verify that the website is safe and secure before continuing. Numerous unsecured websites serve as the most important spawning grounds for data thieves and potential hackers. Visit only websites with URLs that begin with "https" to prevent data leaks. Likewise, carefully read the privacy rules of any applications before using them.

References

Tunggal, A.T. (2022). What is a Cyber Threat? [online] www.upguard.com. Available at: https://www.upguard.com/blog/cyber-threat.

HDFCErgo. (n.d.). 12 Cyber Security Tips for Students at Home & in School. [online] Available at: https://www.hdfcergo.com/blogs/cyber-insurance/cybersecurity-tips-for-students.

Uberoi, A. (n.d.). Cyber Threats: How Can Students Stay Safe Online? [online] www.cm-alliance.com. Available at: https://www.cm-alliance.com/cybersecurity-blog/cyber-threats-how-can-students-stay-safe-online. 

years, S.R.C.D.S.C. has served as an educator with M.C.S. for 19, Administrator, I.S.Y. as an, theory, instructional technologist H. research interests include educational, practice, Learning, P., Evaluation, T., Champion, self-efficacy D.C. is a P. and Education, P.L. in (n.d.). The 6 C’s of Cybersafety: How to Keep Students Safe Online. [online] Technology Solutions That Drive Education. Available at: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2020/11/6-cs-cybersafety-how-keep-students-safe-online. 

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