Lesson 2- Protecting Yourself Online

Objectives Determine the strength of passwords Protect against identity theft Determine how to remain safe on public networks Evaluate online threats Protect against malware/hacking

Passwords Good password practices: The whole purpose of a password is to keep important, private information safe. Good password practices: Strong passwords use upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. (8 or more characters) Don’t share your passwords with anyone Change your password frequently or use a different password for every site you visit Don’t use information that is personal or easy to guess Discussion tips: Have students share their definition of digital footprint before revealing. Discuss how important it is to be careful what we add to our digital footprints. Have students discuss what types of entities consider information found in the digital footprint. (i.e., jobs, college admissions, etc…) Have students think of/share examples where they or someone they knew has something embarrassing or regretful in their digital footprint. Weak passwords: Bickerton01 Fluffy1992 Strong passwords: Fi#1c@t! (Fluffy is # 1 cat!) #Ih8P@$$words (I hate passwords)

I1uvS0ccer#1976 Bigbro01 Dimlyf3!7 Tissue_12 Examples I1uvS0ccer#1976 Bigbro01 Dimlyf3!7 Tissue_12 Answers: Strong Weak

Hacking/Malware Hacking is the act of cracking into a computer to steal information. Malware is software that has malicious intent. Two types of malware: Discussion tips: Ask students about their experiences with hacking/malwareHacking is the act of cracking into a computer to steal information. A computer virus attaches itself to a file or program, enabling it to spread from one computer to another. Worms spread from one machine to another, rapidly, without human action.

Antivirus Software Antivirus software is a computer program that detects, prevents, and takes action to disarm or remove malicious software programs, such as worms and viruses. Malware can be shared by: • E-mail attachments • Fictitious websites • Pop-up ads • Spam

Hacking/Malware Defenses Avoid attacks by: Do not open emails or attachments from unfamiliar email addresses Question suspicious attachments from people you do know Right-click the pop-up taskbar or use the task manager to close pop-up ads Discussion tips: Students may have some knowledge on the subject here. Have them share how they avoid attacks. Avoid attacks by: Use tools to prevent viewing potentially dangerous sites (ad blocker)

Internet Scams The goal of an internet scam is to trick someone into giving money or sharing information. Some of the most common Internet scams include: • Lottery wins • Contest wins • IRS audit • Dating schemes • Jury duty • Bank or credit card company Discussion tips: Discuss details of some of the internet scams you have encountered. Allow students to discuss internet scams they have encountered.

Avoiding Internet Scams Ways to Avoid Internet Scams: Never provide your social security number. Your other personal information should also be kept personal. If you are receiving some type of deal or offer, get the facts before making any commitments.

Identity Theft Identity theft is when someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data, typically for economic gain. There are four major types of identity theft: Financial – thief spends another person’s money or opens a line of credit in their name. Criminal – thief uses someone else’s identity to commit a crime. Governmental – thief uses SSN to file taxes or reap other governmental benefits. Medical – thief uses identity to gain medical treatment or commit insurance fraud.

Public Networks Free Wi-Fi is typically offered on public networks, which are generally unencrypted. If the network is unencrypted, that means the data sent back and forth between your device and wireless router can be viewed by others. Discussion tips: Ask students how safe they believe public networks to be. Special encryption called HTTPS can protect your web browsing information.

Public Networks Handling financial transactions (online banking) Here are some tasks you should avoid while on a public network: Handling financial transactions (online banking) Logging into social media accounts Sending email Logging on to false Wi-Fi networks