‘Cyber hygiene’ pushed as more rely on internet

CEBU, Philippines —  While most students are now depending on the internet to attend classes, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky encourages strong cyber hygiene practice

Practicing cyber hygiene includes using stronger passwords, two-factor authentication, and virtual private networks (VPNs). These are considered as top three security tools to use, according to Kaspersky.

The single big incident of this year will push about 27 million learners in the Philippines to rely largely on internet connection as they shift to a new normal of learning in the next quarter.

In a few months, it’s expected that multiple devices and online services may be shared in Filipino homes because of convenience. Connecting to WIFI at home would also be more economical for most Filipino families.

In a Kaspersky survey, it showed that 38 percent personally use their computers while 47 percent personally use their laptops. For each person using the same device in one household, Kaspersky recommends that each user account should have its own separate password.

Distrust is not an issue here but family members may be tricked to give the password away or just accidentally leak it.

Experts at Kaspersky recommend that kids never create usernames out of their real names that may reveal their other personally identifiable information (PII) such as location or age.

On the other hand, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) is like having a door with two locks in the account log in process — one is a traditional password and the second one could be something else. When enabled, it means that an attacker has to figure out your password and be in possession of your device to be able to login in to your account. Second authentications are usually codes sent via email or SMS. And there are also authenticator apps and hardware tokens which provide more features and useful options.

For children going back to school, this additional layer of security will have to be enabled on their primary and secondary emails as well as on their social media accounts which are being required by teachers for them to be able to join online classes.

Parents or guardians meanwhile would find that two-factor authentication will be useful to be used on their online bank accounts as well as device accounts such as for iOS and Android gadgets.

Another security tool that is often overlooked is the VPN or the Short for Virtual Private Network.

A VPN works by encrypting your online presence. A VPN masks IP address by rerouting it through a specially configured remote server run by the VPN host, where the VPN server becomes the source of your data. This makes it impossible for your internet service provider or any other third party to see what websites you are visiting or what information you are entering.

A VPN also works like a filter that turns all the data you are sending and receiving into gibberish. Even if someone did get their hands on this data, it would be useless.

Web-savvy users utilize VPNs for these top four reasons such as; Security - for protection against phishing, man-in-the-middle attacks, etc. ; Privacy - to prevent spying and data theft,; Changing/hiding the virtual location - so that the websites a user connects to can only see the VPN server’s IP address and location, not the user’s; Bypass local bans and blocks - so a user can still access websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia in countries where these are restricted, like in China.

As of June 30 this year, some 4,248 of the target 23,100 WIFI hotspots have already been installed under the Free Wi-Fi for All program of the government.

As more live sites are being deployed particularly within public school locations to support the new normal approach in learning, VPNs would come in handy.

“Filipino children and their families, just like their counterparts in other parts of the world, are now bracing for a different learning experience. To succeed in the new way of learning, browsing the internet safely and privately will have to be a part of their new student life. By incorporating the security practices of using stronger passwords, 2FA, and VPN into their digital life, it will be easier to just focus on learning and not really think about getting into trouble,” said Mary Grace Sotayco, Kaspersky territory manager for the Philippines.