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Internet Safety Myths

There are many myths surrounding Internet Safety and we'll be talking about them as a series of articles to dispel it. All in hopes to help bring in better internet usage habits for every Filipino. First an overview and later on, a separate article for each of the myths.

3 Common Myths

I wouldn't be targeted.

That mindset is simply wrong. Just because you're not the target doesn't mean you are not affected.

A lot of security breaches and data leak online is about some other person being targeted but often always, thousands if not millions of personal account gets collected together with the intended target. And where do you think the excess data will end up? It'll end up in an online market of personal information where slowly things about you can be put together enough to steal your identity, commit fraud in your name, and/or completely wipe your lifetime savings away.

I have Anti-Virus and Firewall

Yes, it can protect you from viruses, malware, and help mitigate attacks on your personal computers. Unfortunately, there are certain attacks that does not require the use of viruses, trojan, and malware. A good phishing attack can easily gather the needed from you without you even noticing anything.

I use Mac or Linux because it's by default secure

If you haven't noticed the prevailing counter reason why there are myths, it's because the causes of data breaches is not necessarily the technical problem or vulnerability of the system. It's the attack engineered against the target or an individual whose computer usage habits can be taken advantaged of.

We'll be writing about actual cases of successful attacks because of prevailing Internet Safety myth. If you would like to know more, do subscribe and follow our blog.

If you think a user's habit is not important when assessing myths and vulnerability, do write down your thoughts in the comment section.

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