What are the different tactics used to harm you on the internet, how can these be prevented?

Your hypothesis and predictions: I predict that phishing scams can use social engineering tactics to exploit fear, the desire for something being offered, and a lack of understanding for the topic, leading to people being overly trusting without thinking about the risks. While on the other side of things, I predict that this can be prevented by people learning the phishing tactics, and knowing how to spot them. 

I also predict that people can be tricked into installing a virus into their computer in a very similar way, using social engineering tactics to trick you, with the desire for what is being offered, causing you to install a hidden virus without knowing the consequences. I think that these can be better prevented in the future with artificial intelligence being integrated into anti-virus software, allowing it to better scan all the files in your computer, and eliminate unsafe sites. While even today the risk of installing a virus has gone down, we still need to be careful with what we do on the internet, because there will never be a perfect virus prevention system.

I predict that it can be extremely easy to find the location of any photo using google maps, meaning that any photo or video that you take from outside your home, or featuring any of the space around your home (through windows, open doors, etc.). I also predict that the information in a photo can contain the exact location from where it was taken, unless turned off by either the uploader, or the site used. These can make posting videos extremely dangerous if people want to find where you reside in order to harm you. I predict that this can be prevented by going into a different location any time a video needs to be uploaded, meaning that the location found within the video will not be as dangerous. Despite that, it is still important to be careful with what you upload, since that much information can be found.

Your hypothesis and predictions: I predict that phishing scams can use social engineering tactics to exploit fear, the desire for something being offered, and a lack of understanding for the topic, leading to people being overly trusting without thinking about the risks. While on the other side of things, I predict that this can be prevented by people learning the phishing tactics, and knowing how to spot them. 

I also predict that people can be tricked into installing a virus into their computer in a very similar way, using social engineering tactics to trick you, with the desire for what is being offered, causing you to install a hidden virus without knowing the consequences. I think that these can be better prevented in the future with artificial intelligence being integrated into anti-virus software, allowing it to better scan all the files in your computer, and eliminate unsafe sites. While even today the risk of installing a virus has gone down, we still need to be careful with what we do on the internet, because there will never be a perfect virus prevention system.

I predict that it can be extremely easy to find the location of any photo using google maps, meaning that any photo or video that you take from outside your home, or featuring any of the space around your home (through windows, open doors, etc.). I also predict that the information in a photo can contain the exact location from where it was taken, unless turned off by either the uploader, or the site used. These can make posting videos extremely dangerous if people want to find where you reside in order to harm you. I predict that this can be prevented by going into a different location any time a video needs to be uploaded, meaning that the location found within the video will not be as dangerous. Despite that, it is still important to be careful with what you upload, since that much information can be found.

The internet is a much more dangerous place than most people realize, only 53% of people are even worried about the risks it can cause, yet it can be just as dangerous as an intruder in your home. There are many risks, like phishing scams, which are messages sent to your device, impersonating a source you trust, like your friend, or a bank. Malware, which is the term for any malicious software on your computer, with malicious intent. And even uploading photos on the internet, as there are many ways to pinpoint one's exact location. In this project, I will be researching the dangers, tactics, and solutions to these internet risks.

Phishing scams can use social engineering tactics, which are manipulations of one's psychological weaknesses, like fear, or desire, to make you accept information that is false, and thoughtlessly comply with their fake claims without hesitation. They will make outrageous claims, most likely asking you to either click a dangerous attachment, or send them some sort of information, usually your credit card number. They can sometimes be easy to spot if you just stop to think about it, but they can build on fear and block out your better judgment, causing you to mistakenly accept their comments as legitimate. They will usually pretend to be from a bank, but they can sometimes impersonate your friends, a service you subscribe to, or a person with reasons to be giving something away/warning you of something that you need to be worried about. They will often message you saying: “Free Stuff: Click Here Now!” or, “Your account has been hacked, please send your credit card information to confirm, so we can help you!” They can make some claims that you are in danger, and insert a sense of urgency, so that you feel that you have no time to stop and think about it. Phishing scams can be prevented by simply taking the time to analyze the message for any red flags, look out for anything that seems improbable, or too good to be true, like free stuff, or a required confirmation via email. You should always use your own resources for this, as opposed to the one they provide, as it can install malware, or mimic the real site, to acquire your personal information. The best way to prevent the dangers is to just ignore and delete all of them. Even opening the message itself can be detrimental to your computer’s security, and if you do fear that something is truly wrong, contact the source they claim to be, through the official site, not the information they give you, as chances are that the only threat is the message itself.

Malware can also be immensely dangerous, and can even be carried within phishing scams, as it is the term for any malicious file downloaded onto your computer with the intent of stealing personal data. Malware can come in many forms, such as viruses, which are pieces of malware that duplicate themselves many times, before sending themselves out to your other contacts, to which they will do the same. Or ransomware, which will change the password to your computer, forcing you to pay someone money anonymously, to access your computer once again. It can be bundled in with other things you download, like apps, or .zip files, known as ”Software Bundles”. They can be packed in with the normal files and difficult to even differentiate from the others. “External Downloads,” which is where someone will leave a random USB drive containing a type of malware in a random public space, relying on one’s curiosity, to bring it home, and plug it into one of their devices, installing the malware, and allowing for problems to ensue. Or “Drive by Downloads,” The process of entering someone's website, which can immediately install a virus, and although this is very rare, it is still a risk and you should be cautious with the websites you visit. There are many ways to prevent this, such as keeping software updates frequent, as they can patch up holes in the previous version, which can be exploited by hackers. Always be cautious about the websites you visit, and the files/apps you download, making sure that it is from a safe, and reputable source. And don’t trust any notifications claiming, “your device has been hacked” as no device will notify you of that via notification, or email, so just ignore it. Don’t give anything the benefit of the doubt, and always be distrustful of any notifications you receive. You can use anti-virus software, but you must make sure that it is reputable first.

Little do most people know, any photo you take has a high risk of being traceable right back to the location at which it was originally taken. Every photo you take has the location, date, and time it was taken right there in the files. This can be accessed in most new phones very easily, all one has to do is save the file to their photos, and swipe upwards to unlock this data, and while this feature can be turned off, and most social media has to turn it off on all posts (although many don’t), it is still possible to find the location of many photos, even when this feature is refused. You see, google maps has the ability to guess the location of a photo with great accuracy, and anytime an outdoor location is visible, even through windows, there is a good chance that the location can be found with some accuracy, by google maps. This is preventable to a certain extent, by turning off location when taking photos and videos, but an important trick used by most influencers, is to record all videos, and take all photos in a set, that is far away from your actual residing location, so that even if someone finds the location of their set, it does not put them in much personal danger.

28% of parents use internet protection software to keep their kids safe

53% of people concerned about the risks

12% of internet users have been harassed online in some way

80% of security reports come from phishing scams alone

Almost 306, 000 malicious websites are detected and removed each month

Almost 36% of internet users have reported being targeted by malware/phishing scams

In conclusion, the harmful tactics on the internet are social engineering tactics, leading you to make poor decisions online. They can be prevented by using software to prevent viruses, being cautious of all these dangers, and always taking the proper precautions, even when it can take much longer.

CYSF SOURCES

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams

https://www.ibm.com/topics/social-engineering#:~:text=Social%20engineering%20attacks%20manipulate%20people,their%20personal%20or%20organizational%20security.

https://www.nebrcentre.co.uk/what-are-the-most-common-methods-used-for-malware-attacks/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20malware%20attack,to%20manually%20install%20the%20software.

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375413?hl=en

https://support.google.com/photos/thread/121432623/how-can-i-find-out-where-a-photo-was-taken-when-sent-to-me?hl=en

https://gitnux.org/internet-dangers-statistics/#:~:text=An%20estimated%2059%25%20of%20all,affected%20by%20cybercrime%20in%202017.

https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/what-is/phishing/types-of-phishing.html

https://www.mcafee.com/en-ca/antivirus/malware.html

Thank you to Ms. Price for helping with the science fair.