LESSON 2:

RULES OF
NETIQUETTE
NETIQUETTE IS MADE-UP WORD FROM
THE WORDS NET AND ETIQUETTE.
NETIQUETTE THUS DESCRIBES THE
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
RESPECTFUL AND APPROPRIATE
COMMUNICATION ON THE
INTERNET. NITEQUETTE IS OFTEN
REFERRED TO AS ETIQUETTE FOR THE
INTERNET.
PRE-TEST
Write Yes if you agree with the statement and No if you disagree in the blank
before each number.
_____1. My computer has an antivirus so it is okay to open most email attachments
like e-cards and video files.
_____2. Your friend told you that his college application was rejected because you
posted a video of him doing crazy stuff at a party. You posted the video several
years ago but later took it down to protect your friend’s reputation. Can your
friend be right that the college found the video?
_____3. You and your best friend play a lot of video games. One time, she asks you
for your password so she can help you level up and get in-game money. She
promises to keep your password a secret. Is it okay to give away password?
PRE-TEST
_____4. You received an email stating that your mother’s bank
account is going to be forfeited if you if you do not respond to the
email. Is it safe to reply?
_____5. You forgot that your essay for English class is due
tomorrow. While doing your research, you found a website
offering free essays.
_____6. There is a danger in posting information about a future
vacation.
_____7. Letting people know your birthday is probably a must if you
want to get as many gifts as possible. But having it in your profile
makes you vulnerable to identify theft.
PRE-TEST
_____8. If there is no copyright notice, it’s okay to copy a Web
page.
_____9. Lurking is sometimes considered impolite. It is the
practice of reading discussions without contributing to them.
_____10. Your cousin asked for your fabulous zucchini cake
recipe at the last family function. While you’re sending it to him,
you decide to e-mail it to all 500 people in your address book as
well. It is an example of email spam.
ONLINE SAFETY AND SECURITY
The Internet, truly, is a powerful tool. It can be used to promote
businesses, gain new friends, and stay in touch with the old
ones. It is also a source of entertainment through games, online
communities, and everything in between. But like most things in
this world, there is always the “other side of the coin.” The
Internet is one of the most dangerous places, especially if you do
not know what you are doing with it. But there is no need to
worry; it is never that late. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson,
you are able to consider how you go about your use of the
Internet.
Let us go back to the “How Safe Are You?” test. Let us
visit each item and see how risky it is to share
personal information.
INFORMATION RISKS
1. First name There is a risk in sharing your first
name. Chances are, a hacker may
already know plenty of stuff about
you even if you only give out your
first name. Likewise, you cannot just
walk in a room and start introducing
yourself to everyone.
You do not know whom you can
come across with.
3. Middle name Sharing your middle name alone is
probably not the most risky of these
shared information, but sharing your full
name would be.

4. Current and previous school Most people who steal identities study
their subject. They
(s) Can use this information for verification
purposes.
5. Cell phone number
6. Names of your mother and
father
Your cell phone number should never be
posted on the internet. The Internet is a
public place. It is the same as posting your
number on a billboard. You would not
want random strangers to text or call you,
or worse, pretend that they are someone
else.
Risky, yet not as risky as posting their full
names, especially your mother’s maiden
name. In fact, you may have already
encountered many websites that require
your mother’s maiden name as an answer
to a secret question whenever you lose
your password.
7. Names of your siblings Disclosing this is a huge risk. Strangers
may pretend or use their identity to dupe
you.

8. Address Hopefully, you answered “no” to this one.

Giving the internet your number is one
thing; giving them your address is a whole
other level. It would be much easier for
criminals to find you.
9. Home phone number This shared information is more risky
than sharing your personal phone
number. Scams usually use this
information to deceive you, one of which
is when a stranger pretends to
know your parents or pretends to be you.

10. Birthday Letting people know your birthday is

probably a must if you want to get as
many gifts as possible. But having it in
your profile makes you vulnerable to
identity theft.
The Internet is defined as the information superhighway.
This means that anyone has access to this highway, can
place information, and can grab that information. Any
information, even things that you have set privately, can
be accessed one way or another. This is why social
networking sites like Facebook continue to improve their
security features. The threat of cybercrime is very real.
While you may not experience the threat now, whatever
information we share today could affect us in the future.
There are numerous delinquencies that can be committed on the intemet
such as stalking, identity theft, privacy violations, and harassment.
To avoid these online crimes, follow the following online safety measures:
 Never give any personal information out about yourself over the internet.
 Do not give any banking or sensitive information unless you are sure that
it is a reputable business having a secure service. To make sure that you
are in a secured network, the website address should begin with https://
as opposed to http://. Never access your accounts by following an email
link. Instead type your URL by yourself.
 Never open messages or attachments from someone you do not know.
 Regularly review your privacy settings in your online accounts to
make sure you are not sharing important personal information.

 When using a public computer terminal, be sure to delete your

browsing data before leaving.

 Keep your software updated to avoid security holes.

 Do not download or install software or anything on your computer or
cell phone that is unknown to you.
THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE
Rule 1: Remember the Human.
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online
that you follow in real life.
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace.
Rule 4: Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online.
THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE
Rule 6: Share expert knowledge.
Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control.
Rule 8: Respect other people’s privacy.
Rule 9: Don’t abuse your power.
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes.
Flame war is a series of flame
posts or messages in a thread
that are considered
derogatory in nature are
completely off-topic Often
these flames are posted for
the sole purpose of offending
or upsetting other users. The
flame becomes a flame war
when other users respond to
the thread with their own
flame message.
KINDS OF ONLINE THREATS
There is no doubt that you need to be vigilant online. As
the World Wide Web evolved over the years, many internet
predators have been playing on vulnerabilities to attack
computers and retrieve sensitive data from individuals. Half the
time, we aren’t even aware it is happening until it is too late.

Online threat is deemed any malicious act that attempts to

gain access to a computer network without authorization or
permission from the owners. These are usually done by
computer hackers who uses the World Wide Web to facilitate
cybercrime.
KINDS OF ONLINE THREATS
Web threats use multiple types of malware and fraud, all of which
utilize HTTP or HTTPS protocols, but may also employ other
protocols and components, such as links in email or Instant
Messaging apps, or any malware attachments on servers that
access the Web. They benefit cybercriminals by stealing
information for subsequent sale and help absorb infected PCs into
botnets. Web threats pose a broad range of risks, including
financial damages, identity theft, loss of confidential
information/data, theft of network resources, damaged
brand/personal reputation, and erosion of consumer confidence in
e-commerce and online banking.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE TOP KINDS OF ONLINE
THREATS THAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF
Phishing happens when an email is sent from an internet
criminal disguised as an email from a legitimate, trustworthy
source. The message is meant to lure you into revealing sensitive
or confidential information.
Pharming happens when a hacker (or “pharmer”) directs an internet user
to a fake website instead of a legitimate one. These “spoofed sites can
capture a victim’s confidential information, including usernames,
passwords, and credit card data, or install malware on their computer,
Pharmers usually focus on websites in the financial sector, including banks,
online payment platforms, or other e-commerce destinations.
Internet Scam generally refers to someone using internet services or
software to defraud or take advantage of victims, typically for financial
gain, Cybercriminals may contact potential victims through personal or
work email accounts, social networking sites, dating apps, or other
methods in attempts to obtain financial or other valuable personal
information. Online scams may come in various forms such as lottery
scam, charity fraud scams, job offer scams, and online dating scams to
name a few.
Internet robots are also known as spiders, crawlers, and web
bots. It is a software application that is programmed to do certain
tasks. Bots are automated, which means they run according to
their instructions without a human user. Some bots are useful,
such as search engine bots that index content for search or
customer service bots that help users. Other bots are “bad” and are
programmed to break into user accounts, scan the web for contact
information for sending spam, or perform other malicious
activities. If It’s connected to the internet, a bot will have an
associated IP address.
Malware or malicious software, is any program or file that is
harmful to a computer user. Here are the most common
offenders in the rogues’ gallery of malware:

Adware (advertising supported software) is unwanted

software designed to throw advertisements up on your screen.
Example, pop-up ads and banner ads.

Spyware is malware that secretly observes the computer

user’s activities without permission and reports it to the
software’s author. Example is a keylogger.
Virus and Worms are malwares that attach to another program and
when executed-unintentionally by the user-replicates itself by modifying
other computer programs and infecting them with its own bits of code.

Trojan, or Trojan horse, is one of the most dangerous malware types. It

usually represents itself as something useful in order to trick you once
it’s your system, the attackers behind the Trojan gain unauthorized
access to the affected computer. From there, Trojans can be used to steal
financial information or install threats like viruses and ransomware.

Ransomware is a form of malware that locks you out of your device

and/or encrypts your files, then forces you to pay a ransom to get them
back.
Spams are unsolicited emails, instant messages coming from
recipients that are not granted verifiable permission for the
message to be sent. Spam messages can be damaging if you
open or respond to it.

Cyberstalking refers to the use of the internet or other

electronic device harass or stalk individuals or organizations.
Cyberbullying refers to the act of tormenting, harassing, or
embarrassing another person using the internet.

Spoofing happens when someone or something pretends to be

something else to gain our confidence, get access to our
systems, steal data, steal money, or spread malware.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!