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INTRODUCTION
The internet is the number one source that people of all ages turn to. It
healthcare services, bills and payments, and purchases, but this progress has a
corresponding downside. The start of 2020 marked the beginning of the so called
COVID-19 pandemic which struck the whole world. Wherein, as people stay in their
respective homes, keeping themselves busy by browsing the internet and surfing on
different social media platforms have become an open source of cyber security threats,
management practices, poor network security and faulty defenses are the reasons why
complete cyber security protocol does not guarantee an all over safety considering the
prominent organizations that were attacked as well. One of which is the World Health
Organization (WHO), they stated that cyber-attacks against their organization have a
fivefold increase. Wherein, lots of scammers impersonate the organization that targets
and encourage the public to make donations to the account of WHO to fight this COVID-
19, which turns out to be fake. According to National Crime Agency, people need to be
alert specially in this time of pandemic because there are instances of COVID-19
themed application or malicious websites and email/voice phishing attacks that aims to
The pandemic has greatly contributed to the prevalence of cyber issues and
malicious practices all over the internet, such as data breaches. It has been a great
threat to many, especially during this time when almost all of our work is found online.
Technology may have been a silver lining during the pandemic because of how simple
and quick digital transactions and communication benefit individuals, but not until data
INTERPOL’s report, in one four-month period, January to April, some 907,000 spam
messages, 737 incidents related to malware and 48,000 malicious URLs- all related to
resulting in a significant effect not just on individuals but also on major corporations. As
people become more reliant on technology, cyber-attacks are more dangerous and
vulnerable. Now that cybercriminals continue to carry out their operations and progress
Over the years, the quick advancement of technology has been significantly
revolutionary. In almost all facets of our economy, entertainment and even in education,
these technological advances influence and benefit us. People prefer to respond to
these changes and utilize them especially to education now that there is a presence of
pandemic. But together with this advancements are the consequences it brings to its
users. In the Philippines, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has provided public advisory
services in response to emerging safety threats that are associated with online classes
conferencing services such as google meet and zoom meetings open door to new
communication technology in online classrooms can pose many security risks. Those
data, as well as vulnerability of students to hostile strangers and harmful material online.
While the risk of being targeted will remain, users and employers can be supported by
general to be extremely careful about possible threats in the cyber world and practice
good cyber security and enhance their knowledge in this time of pandemic.
thing ever since the advent of the technology, which seems to get a lot worse as the
internet grows and develops. With that being said, it is somehow expected that at least
most of the users are now aware of those said risks. Which means they may already
have come to their senses that being cautious not only on the outside world is a must.
But then again, no matter how careful a person is, a mistake can be unexpectedly done
and crime still tends to occur. Not to mention that even those who are working in big
fields are being victimized such as hospitals, especially at this time of a pandemic.
often contains some important information such as date of birth, insurance and health
provider information, as well as genetic and health data – information that cannot be
easily altered, unlike the situation of a credit card being stolen. For hackers, this
sold on the dark web for 10-20 times more than the amount of credit card information or
even their social security number. Leak of this information can also undermine the
physician-patient relationship.
relationship to their gadgets, and as they keep at the pace of being dependent on
technology, we cannot deny the fact that vulnerability to cybercrime has also increased.
No one is guaranteed to a 100% safe cyberspace as these threats are machines made
by people to attack other machines also operated by people. However, following the
The study aims to evaluate the safety of internet users in General Trias, Cavite
internet users?
III. Significance of the Study
In today's time where all online users are accumulated at one place, the internet,
assessing the risks present in this space is very beneficial both on online users and
organizations that maintains cyber security. This study will help in providing information
for certain organizations like FBI in securing a healthy internet surfing experience for all.
With this, internet safety will be served on netizens for there has been an evaluation
done for them to follow and be guided in their future internet experience. With the help
of the assessment score, the conceptual model will determine the level of cyber security
service staffs, and remote employees by making sure that they are protected on any
device which they utilize in able to undertake initiatives, services and projects online.
Thus, conducting this study will raise awareness, preventing the entrance to malicious
sites and software that may bring harm and even greater damage to online community if
This study will be focused on making a conceptual model that will help in
assessing the risk and safety of internet users. It will be beneficial to everyone that uses
the internet to help them keep safe and prevent malicious intents such as identity theft,
account hacking, and etc. This study's overall benefit will be focused on keeping internet
users safe from risks and will provide information about the risks that the internet has.
The study would also aid the communities, the government, and the Department
innovativeness.
IV. Scope and Limitations of the Study
The principal objective of this study is to assess the cybersecurity and construct
a conceptual model for assessing the risk and safety of internet users in the city of
General Trias, Cavite. This includes resource management practices, network security,
and software defenses. It focuses on the evaluation of the safety of internet users due
to the emerging threats of cybersecurity in the municipality. This study will only focus
presented in Figure 1. It is guided by the Input, Process, and Output (IPO) Model.
* Collection of
* Determine
Data
eligible population
*Capturing and
(Definition of
processing * Conceptual
Population)
responses Model and
*Building
*Applying evaluation results
hypothesis
Statistical for enhancement
*Planning
treatments of Cybersecurity
Research Design
*Generating
*Model
Results from the
Specification
respondents and
Participants
For a clearer understanding of this study, the following terms are defined in the
context of this research:
Assessment score. is a piece of detailed information wherein the examinee’s
responses to the items of an assessment being measured conveys the average
performance or knowledge of participants.
Conceptual model. a presentation of a model or a system, containing a set of
concepts that is used to help the readers to understand and simulate the subject or
topic.
Cyber-attacks. an attempt launched by cybercriminals which is meant to hack,
destroy and damage a certain computer network or system.
Cyber security. the protection of computer networks and system against the
theft, cybercriminals and unauthorized use of electronic data.
Cyber security protocol. are protocols, measures, plans or actions that aims to
keep the system/network and organization safe from threats, risks, malicious attacks
and data breaches.
Cyberspace. cyberspace is a time-dependent set of interconnected information
systems and the human users that interact with these systems.
Data breaches. an incident wherein information is stolen or taken from a system
without the knowledge or authorization of the system's owner.
Internet.is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the
Internet protocol suite to communicate between networks and devices.
Malicious websites. is a site that attempts to install malware (a general term for
anything that will disrupt computer operation, gather your personal information or, in a
worst-case scenario, gain total access to your machine) onto your device.
Network security. any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a
computer, server, client, or computer network.
Risks. is the probability of exposure or loss resulting from a cyber-attack or data
breach on your organization.
Scammer. a person who commits fraud or participates in a dishonest scheme.
Technology. the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of
human life or, as it is sometimes phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human
environment.
Threat. a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile
action on someone in retribution for something done or not done.
Vulnerability. the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being
attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
- is a weakness or flaw in software, hardware, or organizational processes,
which when compromised by a threat, can result in a security breach
CHAPTER II
Cyberspace has become the primary tool for manipulation during this time of the
pandemic. Hackers take this opportunity to take advantage of people’s lack of
intelligence and awareness about cyber vulnerabilities. Compared to the two countries
that the Philippines are being considered as an ally to or a friendly neighbor, the US and
China are a threat to the Philippines when it comes to cyber powers. The country has
been the prime target of hackers with its countless hacking incidents over the years.
The Philippines’ capability to deter cyber espionage activities or be proactive in one is
still lacking, and today’s geopolitical climate presents a very challenging situation for the
Philippines, most especially if put alongside China in both issues of maritime dispute
and cybersecurity, (Castillo, 2020). As the Philippines ranked 4th with the highest
number of online threats in 2019 globally, it made the country at risk in data privacy,
security, and other information involving banks and government for possible hacking in
this situation where people rely most on technology. A call for good education and
training initiatives that can enhance cyber-intelligence is necessary. This is to help the
country improve IT infrastructure systems and deter potential cyber-attacks.
The internet has already become a tool not just for entertainment but also for
academic use. In this modern time, people become more dependent of this technology
and utilize it up to its extent. Especially in Philippine educational institutions, both private
and supported by the government, they utilize cyberspace for their school portals that
includes private information about their student and the school itself. However, despite
the frequent use of the cyberspace, there is still a great need to educate and assess the
level of awareness in most Filipinos about online safety, especially when the internet is
being used for academic purposes. (Natonton, 2018) This is because, from the study
that is conducted on selected educational institutions in Butuan City, 40% of the
accumulated respondents agreed that they have experienced online threats. Mostly,
they acquire these viruses from PDF or DOC files that they have downloaded from the
internet, which has a malware embedding, and non- detectable file extensions.
In addition to this, throughout the time from year 2012, Educational Institutions in
the Philippines has experienced various online threats in their school portals. Wherein,
on April 24, 2020, University of the Philippines had their website hacked, leaving
China’s map on their page. Aside from this, Ateneo de Manila’s school website was
hacked on the year 2014 and Polytechnic University of the Philippines was also hacked
on July 19, 2018. All these schools are well known universities in the Philippines.
However, their organization still experienced cyber threats that could also harm the
private information of their students. Thus, this timeline of online attacks on educational
institutions in the Philippines proves the importance of evaluating and assessing the
risks of cyber-attacks, as well as the promotion of cybersecurity awareness, and the
upgrade of software defenses against these online threats.
Uncertainty, ambiguity, and anything in between are filling the whole society, and
it seems like everything throughout this whole existence is so unpredictable, yet
humans have been able to withstand and carry on with their lives. However, no matter
how smart and tough a person can be, an issue or problem that is relentlessly
transpiring should always be properly addressed and action must be taken
instantaneously. Sometimes the one who has the full trust of others is also the one who
has malicious intent. The same goes by with personal computers or any digital devices
within everybody’s houses, where it might be fun and comfortable to use but there are
so many possible threats that are circling on it, especially on the internet. (Thompson,
et al., 2017) In fact, according to a study that was previously conducted, personal
computer users are said to be susceptible to information security threats, since they
have to make independent decisions on how to defend themselves, not to mention that
they only have a little bit of knowledge regarding technology and its implications. Even
so, personal computer users remain under-represented in terms of security research
studies, particularly for mobile device use. Which then come into their minds to address
the research discrepancy by evaluating data from 629 home computer and mobile
device users to enhance awareness on security behavior in both cases. Jumping right
through the results, it reveals that perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, response cost,
descriptive norms, and psychological ownership have mostly affected the personal
computing security intentions and behavior for both home computer and mobile device
users. However, perceived severity was only found to play a role in mobile device
security behavior due to connectedness, and neither response efficacy nor subjective
norm affected security intentions for either type of user. Either way, self-complacency
should not be tolerated all the time, for it might be the reason to lose something that
could be very important in the near future. As the owner and user of any particular
thing, specifically digital devices, be considerate and responsible enough to prevent
from being victimized by such internet threats.
Assessing network security and improving software defenses against these cyber
criminals will greatly help us in protecting not only ourselves but also others that might
also get attacked through the internet. We may still be vulnerable to cyber-attacks but it
is still important to know the risks for us to prevent such cyber-crimes from happening
to all of us.
Cyberspace has become an indispensable domain for state interaction.
Governments have, therefore, made use of cyberspace for power projection, the
protection of critical national infrastructure, and the exertion of political influence over
other actors in the international system (Domingo, 2016). The following relevant related
literature has addressed the vulnerability of cyber security and the risks following it, and
has tried to give suggestions on how to solve the problem by giving emphasis on ICT
(Information and Communication Technologies) and thus strengthening securities by
having better malware scanners, password securities, etc. The following literature is
comparable to this research by how it addresses the numerous risks of the vulnerability
of cyber security and tries to find ways on how to battle it.
It seems like cyber security has been hiding in the shadow of overrated and
famous issues since then. In 1970, threats to the internet world begun revolving all
around the globe. It did exist, together with its malicious constituents, harming every
internet of thing that belongs to those who are ignorant to this alarming and fast-pacing
issue. However, cyber threats are still out of sight. The neglect of cyber security is
causing a higher risk of network infringement and the rise of malicious software. At that
point in the history of Information Communication technology (ICT), serious threats of
computer viruses captured a larger scale of attention to many and the invention of the
first anti-virus software began to make a great noise.
Abomhara once mentioned that the Internet of Things or the IOT devices are
intensely raging its influence but the IOT Services turned out to be prevalent. That is
why security research and practices is garnering a wholesome investment from the
authorities and private sectors. While most people are hardly endeavoring physical
safety, cyber security has left the top most priority. With timely high-profile threats,
things are becoming more visible. Serious training and undertaking on cyber security
practices is at hand. In fact, the transparency of physical security may be clearer than
the virtual, the fundamentals of network and computer have a more sensitively vital
functions in every active organization. Therefore, it happened that the cyber security is
not just a shadow to any issue but a serious subject matter that has a worst effect
amount if not provided with special force and intervention. (Hendrix, M., Al-Sherbaz, A.,
et al., 2016)
II. Methods
A. Creating Survey
In creating the survey, google forms platform was utilized in order to provide
more efficient data gathering and because it is an online platform where in it’s easier to
Where P = Percentage
F = Frequency
N = Number of Respondents
2.) MEAN. The mean (or average) of a set data values is the sum of all of the data
Formula: Mean =
comparison of two or more means which enables a researcher to draw various results
FORMULA:
MST
F=
MSE
Where:
F = represents as ANOVA Coefficient
Formula:
Where: μ X −μY =0
N= number of pairs
This statistical tool was used to compare the numerical data obtained from the
experimental and control group after the application of treatment in a specific number of
days.
5.) FIVE-POINT LIKERT SCALE. It is the most widely used approach to scaling
respondents in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with
rating scale, or more accurately the Likert-type scale, even though the two are not
synonymous.
Table 2.0 shows the Five-Point Likert Scale used for evaluation
Score Remark
5 Confident
4 Satisfied
3 Neutral
2 Dissatisfied
1 No confidence
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presented, analyzed and interpreted the gathered data to achieve
In this table, the researchers can see the level of confidence. As perceived by the
table, the 20 participants have been evaluated. Most of the participants have been
scored satisfied.
Figure 1.2 Score Based on Software Defenses, Security Practices and Network
Security of 20 Participants
Figure 1.2 showed the overall rating of 20 participants who have been evaluated
through the survey in terms of software defenses, security practices, and network
security.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
This study is conducted to evaluate the cybersecurity status of people in
Barangay Pasong Camachile I and Barangay Pasong Camachile II. The researcher
chose these barangays to provide a representative sample.
The program evaluation was able to evaluate and assess the cybersecurity
status of different respondents coming from these two barangays. The results shows
that respondents are confident about their cybersecurity and have been graded a high
level in terms of network security, resource management practice and software
defenses. With these results and data, it will be beneficial for many people because it
will provide them knowledge on what do they need to change or what do they need to
improve.
The model of evaluation have been proven effective and this just shows that the
cybersecurity rating of these barangays are high.
Castillo, C.M. (2020) Cyberspace as the New Domain for Great Power Competition:
Strengthening the Philippines’ Cyber Capability in a Complex Security
Environment: Philippine Cyber Capability and Dynamics in Asia-Pacific Region.
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power-competition-strengthening-the-philippines-cyber-capability-in-a-complex-
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