Cybersecurity Tips for Students, or Think Before You Click

How to detect and secure yourself from cybercrimes — your digital safety guide.

While raving about the benefits of technological progress, we forget about the dark side of massive digitalization. Its name is cybercrime, and there are more criminals preying on people’s data, money, and assets online than robbers awaiting you around the dark corner.

Though, statistically, young people become victims of cybercrime less often than the older generation, we should keep in mind that nobody is safe online. To feel really secure, you need to be aware of various cybercrimes and implement security measures to keep your gadgets and data intact.

Here, I share the basics of online security activities for students and explore protections you may implement to avoid the most widespread cybercrimes.

Cyber Safety Rules for Students

Let’s proceed to the fundamental cybersecurity commandments you should follow to stay immune to online criminals. These rules protect all gadgets, personal and financial details, networks, etc.

• Improve your digital literacy. The first remedy to cybercrime is understanding how it happens and what methods hackers use. Knowledge is power that will help you spot suspicious activities.
• Don’t ignore backups. Viruses, ransomware, and other hacker attacks can cause an irreparable loss of all information on your computer. Don’t give hackers that pleasure; back up your data regularly to have the latest copy.
• Take care of encryption. Encrypted data is not that easy to intercept or misuse. Thus, encrypting your records closes the loopholes in your digital exchanges and protects your assets.
• Audit your software upgrades. Outdated software comes with bugs and vulnerabilities that hackers can easily abuse. Thus, you must upgrade all software on time and install the latest protective shields.
• Qwerty123 won’t do. The times of simple passwords are long gone, and “password1” or “qwerty123” won’t help. Use random password generators to protect your accounts from unauthorized access and data breaches.
• Keep passwords safe. Creating a safe password is only part of your task; you must also store them safely in a protected folder, offline, or in a password manager app.
• Add an extra layer of protection. Multi-factor authentication works well even in the modern, dangerous digital environment. Add biometrics or an SMS PIN code to restrict access for unauthorized parties.
• Check website licenses. Work only with websites that have an HTTPS certificate of protection. Otherwise, your security is not guaranteed. At all.
• Practice mindful sharing. Think twice before sharing photos, videos, and other personal info online. All data can be mined and profiled today.
• Don’t follow clickbaits. The rule of thumb is not to click on suspicious links. Anything may happen after you do it, so checking the link on Google makes sense.
• Public Wi-Fi is not always reliable. Remember that public networks are very vulnerable to hackers, so entering your passwords and exposing sensitive details while on free Wi-Fi is dangerous.
• ToC really matter. The terms and conditions are a lot of dull reading, but they cover all the details of data collection for the resource you’re visiting.
• Are you charged for things you didn’t buy? Many hackers don’t just empty the accounts they get access to; they withdraw small sums to remain unnoticed.

All these rules work well if you understand what kinds of threats you face online. Let’s consider the most common cybercrimes to be aware of.

Phishing — Emails & Other Kinds of Messages

Phishing is malicious online activities that elicit sensitive information, like credit card data or passwords. Phishers may disguise their links under credible organizations’ URLs and ask you to confirm your identity or cancel an unauthorized transaction. Phishing attacks may be made via Google Docs links, emails, “tech support” messages, and clickbait advertisements.

You can come across these baits on any digital source, whether your email or a social media thread. To avoid becoming a phishing attack victim, pay attention to the following signs:

🧑‍💻 Suspicious URLs.

http://www.g00gle.com (using zeros instead of "o"s)

🧑‍💻 Poor grammar and lack of clarity in the messages.

Subject: Your account is in danger 
Hello, 
We have detected unusual activity on you Facebook account. 
To secure your account, please confirm your identity by click the link below: 
Secure your account 
Thank you, 
Facebook Security Team

🧑‍💻 Questionable website name.

http://www.microsoft-support-center.com
(Microsoft's actual domain would be something like support.microsoft.com.)

🧑‍💻 Strange file names in the attachments.

Invoice_12345.exe
(Executable files (.exe) are rarely sent in legitimate emails and can run 
malicious software when opened.)

Thus, the principles of anti-phishing digital hygiene are to follow links from trusted senders only, not accept suspicious friend requests, and avoid resources that ask for personal details. Strong passwords also help, by the way.

Malware — Spreading Malicious Software on [Any] Device

Malware, as its name suggests, is malicious software specifically designed to harm. It may infect your device with a virus, block all stored data, or steal sensitive information. Malware can take any form:

🦠 Spyware (spying programs that elicit your data).

🦠 Adware (irritating ads and pop-ups that contaminate your device and paralyze your activities).

🦠 Worms and trojan horses (viruses that ruin your OS and cause irreparable damage to hardware and software).

🦠 Ransomware (a virus that blocks access to data until you pay ransom).

It’s easy to get malware to your device by opening infected documents, from PDF and Word files to video links and ad pop-ups. Avoid malware infiltration by updating your software, setting up a solid antivirus program, and protecting all sensitive data with strong passwords and two-factor authorization measures.

Data Theft — Any Information Obtained Illegally

Data theft refers to stealing personal or banking information from a user’s smartphone, computer, or server. Any kind of data may be stolen online, including:

💾 Bank account data.

💾 Passwords.

💾 Passport and SSN data.

💾 Insurance policy details.

💾 Driver’s license information.

💾 Medical records and prescriptions.

Criminals often steal personally identifying data and passwords to get unauthorized access to the individual’s bank accounts, personal profiles in various organizations, or insurance claims. In most cases, theft occurs with the aim of monetization, while some hackers demand ransom for the stolen records.

The best way to secure yourself from data leaks and thefts is to create strong passwords and avoid storing or sharing sensitive data online. If you’re a business owner dealing with client data, protect your servers and databases from possible risks.

Cyberbullying — Inappropriate or Threatening Online Behavior

We’re all familiar with the concept of bullying. It takes many forms, from the intentional dissemination of lies and the person’s defamation to open aggression, verbal attacks, and violence.

Cyberbullying is bullying that has gone digital. Though cyberbullies can’t physically abuse a person, they can still make anyone’s life unbearable with negative comments, harassment in messages, and threats. Therefore, victims of cyberbullying also suffer from emotional and even physical consequences of aggression and unwanted attention.

It is vital to curb such attacks at the very onset by turning to legal authorities, screenshotting all messages, and filing lawsuits and complaints against perpetrators. Only by taking action can you ruin the myth of the attacker’s ability to go unpunished in the online space.

More on Trending Cyber Crimes in 2024

Possessing complete information about the cybercrime landscape and emerging precautions is your contribution to digital safety. Don’t expect end-to-end coverage from antiviruses or cyber firms — they may also fail. Monitor the situation and learn the ins and outs of cybersecurity from the following resources:

🔗 Cybercrime Magazine — Page One For The Cybersecurity Industry

🔗 Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) | Home Page

🔗 Cybersecurity News, Insights and Analysis | SecurityWeek

🔗 The Hacker News | #1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Site

Here you go with the bare minimum of protective measures that can make your digital interactions safer. Don’t forget that your digital activity and the data you share (even via private channels) remain online and can be intercepted by criminals. Therefore, you should stick to the safety rules discussed above and never forget secure passwords and data backups.