Today’s world is more interconnected than ever before. Post COVID-19 everyone is more reliant on technology, and at the same time, we are also more vulnerable to cyberattacks, identity theft, cyberbullying, frauds, cyber abuse, and child exploitation.
Everyone and everything is online, the world has become digitalized and so is the cyber crime. Anytime you connect to the internet at home, at school, at work, or on mobile devices, there is a possibility of an invisible criminal. We make decisions that affect our cyber security.
Recently the first-ever reported human death indirectly caused by a ransomware attack was reported by the German authorities. Duesseldorf hospital was unable to receive the patient as it was in the midst of dealing with a ransomware attack that has hit its network and infected more than 30 internal servers. This is a wakeup call for the world.
According to the National Crime Report, there have been 63.5% digital crime cases in 2019 and it is estimated that cybercrime rates could rise all over the world by 2030.
Since being digital is a part of our living, we need to educate ourselves to be digitally safe and secure by being aware of the safety measures we can take.
Be Aware, Awake and Alert.
These ways of socializing and communicating can be fulfilling and, yet, they come with certain risks:
Remember three C’s
CONDUCT, CONTACT, CONTENT and CONTRACT RISKS
CONDUCT RISKS: in a peer-to-peer exchange, including when their own behaviour makes them vulnerable.
•engaging in an illegal activity such as downloading or hacking
•bullying or harassing others
•creating or sharing harmful material (i.e. pornography)
•providing harmful advice (e.g., pertaining to suicide, eating disorders)
CONTACT RISKS: Some people online have bad intentions, including bullies, predators, hackers, and scammers.
•being bullied, harassed or stalked
•being groomed or succumbing to digital fraud
•tracking or harvesting of personal information; personal data misuse.
CONTENT RISKS: pornography, violence, or hate speech online.
•engaging in illegal activities such as downloading or hacking
•bullying or harassing others
•creating or sharing harmful material (i.e. pornography)
•providing harmful advice (e.g., pertaining to suicide, eating disorders
CONTRACT RISKS:
•receiving digital marketing messages inappropriate or illegal for children
•being exposed to commercial messages that are not identified as such
•being exposed to economic risk (e.g. digital fraud)
•security risks (e.g., digital scams, identify theft, malicious code).
