Cyber Safety Ninja Dojo

Lesson 1:Fake News

Fake News has been a big subject recently due to the newly elected president, Trump. This topic can generate a lot of trouble and problems for people if they don't look into it. This lesson will help you know what fake news is, how to spot it, and how to deal with it.

1. What is Fake News
The definition of fake news is it is news that refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news. Fake news promote certain emotion and tends to be very bias. They want to promote fake news as real news, unlike satire websites that promote fake news as it is fake news. Fake news can often be political and social; this is often why there is bias in the article. Fake is often published to provoke society and arouse a certain viewpoint of a subject.

2. How to spot Fake News
There are numerous ways to spot Fake News. Fake News, often, has no sources, while in real news there are sources of its information. Fake news can also show political or social bias toward the subject it is sharing about, so be on the lookout for the way the information is present. If the news article is trying to purposely spark an emotion, such as anger or disappointment, then it could be fake news throughout its content. Also look into the article to see if there is weird sources or information on the page because fake articles with sources often get their information from other fake news sites. There is another way to discover if the news article is fake or not: Look at other reliable news sites and sources. If it is real then it will probably show up on other sources.

3. How to deal with Fake News
If you can spot fake news, then the site and don't take any information form it. You may want to block the website as well. That is as much things you can do to a fake news site. But don't worry because Facebook and other social media sites are staring to let their users report fake news when they see it on the sites. Then the social media sites will block it from their stream. Google is also starting to ban fake news sites form its browser. Fake news also might want to capitalize on ads, so you can use a ad blocker to prevent them from gaining revenue.

Lesson 2:Virus and Malware

The Lesson:
When it comes down to getting rid of a virus, residing within your computer, finding out 'what type' and 'how to eliminate it' are two important questions to ask.'But how can you wipe out the malware the virus comes from?' you may ask. The difficulty is that destroying malware ranges from a simple diagnosis on a anti-virus software, to flat out wiping out your hard drive. So the problem that comes down to, is 'What is the difference between malware, and viruses?'.

Difference between a virus and malware
The difference between malware and viruses; are that viruses are a "contagious" piece of code that comes from an unverified software you downloaded. As soon as you run the software, the virus, as its namesake, can replicate itself to make your computer slower, essentially filling up your storage space. Malware is some software used to infect and damage your computer data. Technically speaking, a virus is the same thing described as malware. That's right, there are more than one type of malware, created by bad surfers lurking around the internet! But do not be alarmed, because now you'll be able to detect what type of malware has been infecting your computer!

Types of Malware and Viruses
1. Adware: Adware is a type of malware that is much more of an annoyance than harmful. What this can do is when you log on to the internet, you will immediately be shown unwanted advertisements forcibly. It usually shows itself when browsing through web sites that plasters ads all over the page. You know when you're scrolling down a pabe, but then a pop-up appears that tells you to subscribe to their site? That is also a form of adware, but done so professionally. If you have a Chrome browser, you can install an extension that disables ads.

2. Spyware: This malware can spy on you while you do your usual activities on your computer. What happens is that whatever you search or click on, the data is also show on another computer from a different location; similar on how the NSA spies on you through the camera. Usually it's used by large companies that track on what customers search for when buying the most recent products. One example would be on when you buy groceries from a store. A supermarket can record the items you purchased over the course of a month. then they 'average out' from what products you usually buy the most.

3. Worm: A computer worm is basically, a sub-term describing malware that replicates itself. The main function of worms is to sneak into your computer and wipe all the files in your computer as it can. Computer viruses are the most common form of worms as of now.

4. Virus: It is a simple piece of malware that becomes dangerous if it is left alone. As you have heard or read about, it is a code/program that replicates over and over, destroying all data it "touches" until your computer crashes. Removing a virus is simple if you know how to run a computer.

5. Trojan: Trojans are viruses that are much harder to identify as malware. When you browse the Internet, you may find some software that interests you. When you click on the download link, it seems legitimate enough for you to trust it. But under that lies a computer virus, waiting for the time to strike. This is the function of a Trojan virus. Simply put, it disguises as a software program that, once opened, actively searches your financial information and computer resources. It can even deny you access to your network.

6. Rookit: Don't you ever feel like somebody is watching you on your computer? Well, with Rookit, you may be in danger. Rookit is a set of malware tools that a user can use. That user can 'silently' hide in your computer, and take control of it. The user is able to steal information without notice of the victim. What makes it even more dangerous is that you don't have to install any software for Rookit to work. The invading user can just search up an IP address (Internet Protocol) and control whatever connected computer is unprotected.

7. Backdoors: This malware can forcfully make your network connection public, enabling spam and viruses to be sent to your computer. Sometimes they can be classified as legitimate software at first glance. You can fix this by terminating the virus process, delete all files associated with it and remove the registry keys.

8. Keyloggers: Whenever you post something on the web, it stays on the web. You can make your posts private or public, someone with a grudge for you will share whatever post you made, whether in context or not. By actually thinking about what you are going to type, it won't haunt you for a while. That is, unless someone catches you typing at all. This malware can record everything you type on your keyboard, even if you do not send the message at all. Now, you may find that keylogging is more for computer-human interaction, but what I'm talking about is a user-controlled keylogger. Somebody out there can spy on someone and can watch them type out every single letter without notice.

9. Rouge Security Software: A rouge security software is an rare type of malware that is obscure. What it does is it acts like an anti-virus software or malware-wiper. It depends on your obliviousness for you to download it. So if you already have an anti-virus software like AVG, Mcavee, avast, Norton, or any other big name software; then you are safe. Just watch out for shady links when you browse the Internet.

10. Ransomware: Whenever you go browsing through sites, sometimes you may encounter a pop-up that reads "YOU ARE ENTERING A BLOCKED SITE. PAY $$$$ TO ENTER". This type of malware is what pressures you into paying to access a site. They have no real power to gatekeep a site (at least, that we have heard), so what to prevent this is to call their bluff, and disable pop-ups if you can.

What do you do?
Now that you know about all the different types of malware, the next big question comes to mind. How can you remove malware from your computer? Well, usually the best option would be to get an anti-virus software to protect against the common viruses. My suggestion would be to get 'avast!' anti-virus. Or you can get the Norton Security, but that costs money, and we, at GITA, do not know how well it works. 'But what about the harder malware, like Rookit and Keyloggers?' you might say. To be rid those viruses, you also need to watch for any signs of trickery. Don't fall for any kind of trap.

Lesson 3:Identity Theft

What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another's personally identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.

Different Types of Identity Theft
1. Child ID Theft:Thieves steal a child's social security number to open credit accounts. Child’s theft may go undetected for years because they won't know what happened until they're adults.
2. Tax ID Theft: A thief uses your social security number to falsely file tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service or state government.
3. Medical ID Theft: When someone steals your information such as your health insurance member number or medicare id to issue fraudulent billings to your health insurance provider or to get medical services.
4. Senior ID Theft: ID theft schemes that target seniors. Seniors are vulnerable to ID theft because they are in more frequent contact with medical professionals who get their medical insurance information, or caregivers and staff at long-term care facilities that have access to personal information or financial documents.
5. Social ID Theft: A thief uses your name, photos, and other personal information to create a phony account on a social media platform.
6. Financial Theft:Most common is credit card theft, which is when thieves use stolen credit cards or credit card numbers to purchase goods.

Ways To Prevent Identity Theft
There are numerous ways that you can prevent Identity Theft. For starters, use strong passwords and pins for your account. Also don't store your passwords and pins in your computer because hackers might be able to steal it.If possible, turn on 2-factor authentication, which makes you log in with 2 factors. Create login passwords for all your devices, protect your computer with complex software, and, if you wish, encrypt your hard drive. There is also identity theft through social media, so stay safe when posting on social media sites. When shopping online make sure to check the security of everything before you put all of your information on the site. Make sure to protect your credit and make sure there is no credit cards opened in your name. It may be smart to invest in a shredder so those documents that you don’t need won’t get out to the world. Also be very careful when sharing your personal information, even to people you know.

Conclusion
Overall if you want to protect yourself from any type of theft you should just be very careful with everything you do involving information that only you should have.

Take a Quiz!

This section is if you think you are ready to be a cyber safety ninja! Each quiz has 5 questions and lets see how well you learned from us! If you miss a question, please look back at the lesson to get it right. We hope you get a passing score!
-Cyber Ninja Teachers