A DIGITAL CRISIS, AND SAFETY, AMID THE PANDEMIC

IT’S THAT OTHER KIND OF VIRUS

- ART SAMANIEGO JR.

Like following the minimum health safety protocols to pre-vent COVID-19 from spread-ing, you also need to maintain proper cybersecurity measures on your devices to not only protect yourself but also your friends and family. Just like the Coronavirus where anyone not properly protected could get it, a computer, laptop, desktop, tablet, or any other devices connected to the internet once compromised could also infect other devices making everyone vulnerable.

If you have the COVID-19 and you don’t isolate or follow the basic safety standards, the people who are physically closest to you would be in danger of getting the virus.

If you don’t follow basic social media hygiene, once your account is compromised, it would not only affect you but also everyone on your contact list.

Hackers would check the people who you always communicate with and trick them into believing that it’s you who’s asking for help scamming them into giving money or information.

If you easily believe those who are saying that the COVID-19 is just government propaganda, chances are you would not take health safety warnings seriously thus making you vulnerable to the disease. Same in the digital world.

If you just click the links sent to you via email without verifying the sender or the content, it is more likely that you would become a victim of identity theft and other scams.