LIST: Tips for better internet security

MANILA, Philippines — In commemoration of the Safer Internet Day last February 7, search engine Google released data about cybersecurity and tips to ramp up safety on the internet.

Google Trends found that in 2022, the Philippines was among the Top 3 countries worldwide that searched for the terms "computer virus" and "computer emergency response team," the former reaching its highest search interest in a decade.

The Philippines also figured in the Top 5 of searches on related terms such as "phishing," "privacy," "private browsing," "identity theft," "malware," "internet safety," "cyber bullying," "email spoofing" and "trojan horse."

The latter term, which is downloaded malware disguised as a legitimate program, is also among the Philippines' top-trending cyber security topics in 2022, along with the likes of "malware scanner," "password manager," "computer security" and the aforementioned "computer virus."

This shows that Filipinos are concerned about internet safety. As a response, Google introduced several internet security measures and tips.

Stronger passwords

Google's very own Password Manager helps users create unique passwords that are difficult to breach and stores them away privately for users' benefits.

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The tool also alerts users if any attempt to crack a password is being compromised or if a website appears to be malicious. Google Password Manager also checks the security of a billion passwords for breaches on a daily basis.

Double-checking sites

Suspicious texts and emails have been frequented in the last few months. Some of these were masked as being sent by colleagues, banks, or establishments and are found to have attached phishing links with the intention of obtaining personal information.

A well-known indicator is if a link contains "https," though Google advises to directly avoid clicking links. It is still best to type in the search bar and hover over links first as this could indicate if the link directs to a malicious site.

Google said it protects and blocks their email users from almost 15 billion spam or phishing messages a day, with the first half of November 2022 accounting for 231 billion global messages — 10% higher than the average volume.

Verification and check-up

One initiative that Google has implemented is two-step verification as an extra layer of security where users need to respond with a six-digit code or open another app to prove they are indeed accessing personal information, website, or email.

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Two years ago, Google enabled the two-step verification for over 150 million individuals and saw a 50% decrease in accounts being compromised.

Google also suggests taking password, security, privacy and ads check-ups to address personalized security recommendations, especially when users want to control what ads and content they wish to see.

Constant updates

Make sure all devices have the latest security updates, since users tend to ignore such notifications on their phones and computers.

Unique passwords help ensure a secure account, but Google advises routinely changing them and not having similar passcodes across devices.

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