Hackers are increasingly targeting young teens during COVID-19. Find out how the youth can keep themselves protected for online scams.
It’s no surprise that COVID-19 can be absolutely devastating and life-threatening for old folks. You hear about it all the time on the news these days. But what no one is really talking about is the dangers that young kids are facing nowadays due to increased cyber-attacks.
Believe it or not, our youth is being swindled by opportunist hackers into giving up their private information such as social security numbers. But why target the young? Well, because it’s easy. Tricking a gullible teen can be like stealing candy from a baby. Even primitive email scams promising to give away free stuff can get any minor to give up their personal information.
Just to give you a perceptive of how vulnerable the young generation can be, according to statistics, hackers attack every 39 seconds. on average 2244 times a day. That being said, thanks to social awareness programs, the young generation is becoming increasingly, somewhat. For instance, when I interviewed a group of kids aged 13 - 14, all of the respondents said that they're aware of phishing emails.
This shows how some kids with proper knowledge can avoid becoming victims of cyberattacks. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for parents and teachers to have a one on one conversation regarding cyberattacks and its prevention methods. Until the COVID-19 crisis settles down, online classrooms should at least host awareness classes to educate the young generation regarding the current wave of COVID-19 related scams.
How to avoid getting swindled by hackers?
So what have we talked about so far? Young gullible generation can be easily targeted by cyber attacks, however, with proper knowledge, they can fend off any potential cyberattacks. With that in mind, if you're curious as to how you can stay safe and secure online amid the Coronavirus crisis, here are a couple of tips you can follow.
1. Avoid opening suspicious emails & links
The first and most obvious tip is to avoid clicking on any shady email or link. If you don’t recognize the email sender, it's often a good idea to leave it alone. Because, if you happen to click on any malicious link, you can have your computer hijacked by hackers. But I do understand that It's not always easy to know which links you should avoid. If you are having second thoughts, go ahead and ask your older sibling or even your mom and dad for help.
Phishing attacks are more commonly carried out these days. You can even assume it as any hacker’s first choice. Since COVID-19 themed phishing attacks are on the rise, you need to be extra careful. Phishing is usually carried out through emails with alluring subject lines. With false promises, an attacker can ask you to send over your personal information. As soon as you take the bait, an attacker can get away with identity theft and even credit card information.
That being said, avoid such scams is easy. As long as you pay attention to small details, you should have no trouble at all. In order to spot a potential phishing attack, pay attention to the following:
Make sure the URL that you're about to click is legit. Instead of clicking on any link, copy/paste it in your browser and see if it looks sketchy. If the URL looks sketchy, avoid visiting it.
Avoid clicking on emails that look too good to be true. For instance, it's no brainer to not click on fake lottery emails.
Don't visit duped websites. Sometime, you might come across replicas of popular websites. It might seem like you're visiting Facebook but in reality, you might be visiting a fake website disguised to steal your account credentials.
All in all, don't click on any email, don't visit any website and don't provide anyone your personal information to who you don't trust. Always stay on the tip of your toes and make sure you pay attention to the little details.
2. Use tools like VPNs & antivirus to protect yourself
So when you visit the internet, you're out in the public. There's no literally no online anonymity by default. However, there are a tool available online that can do just that. One of the best tools to achieve online anonymity is a VPN. VPNs are basically designed to mask your IP address. Once your IP address is masked, you can literally go off the grid.
Cybercriminals will have no clue where you're from or what you're browsing online. Another reason why VPNs are becoming so useful these days is that they can block malicious URLs. And the good thing is, you can find plenty of VPNs online that offer free trials. So, instead of purchasing VPNs straight away, you can ask your parent to get a free trial for you without providing any credit card details.
To double down on your privacy and security, you can also use a reliable antivirus program. Norton, Kaspersky, McAfee can be viable and affordable options. With that being said, just keep in mind that using antivirus software or VPN doesn’t mean that you'll suddenly become immune to cyber attacks. To be honest, you'll still need to be careful about which links you click and with whom you share your personal information.
Wrapping Up!
Online privacy is a very broad topic. It's not something that only matters to celebrities or hot shot business moguls. Even if you're just in high school, you still shouldn't take your privacy lightly. Since young teens are constantly being target by hackers amid COVID-19, parents, teachers, and kids need to set up certain guidelines and develop good habits to securely access the online world without compromising on privacy.
I hope you found this blog informative, do let me know what prevention methods you are following during the current Coronavirus crisis. If you ask me what tools I suggest, then I would recommend you check out the free trial of NordVPN and use Kaspersky antivirus software which is very light on computer resources.
