Internet safety Y7

• Computing
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

Online Dangers

What do you already know about online safety?

What do you already know about online safety?

Understanding Malware

Malware (short for malicious software) are programs that install and run on your computer without your knowledge or consent. Malware is often downloaded from email attachments or websites that are not properly protected.

Types of Malware

Viruses, spyware, trojans, and zombies

Once infected, it can be difficult to get rid from a computer. Special programs called anti-virus software are required to clean malware off a computer.

virus - Any computer program designed to replicate and damage other computer systems and software. They spread and when sending an email from an infected computer will pass onto the next computer.

trojans - Malware that appears legitimate, but performs some malicious activity when it is run.

spyware - spies on users’ activities, usually to steal financial details and passwords

zombies - Malware that takes over a computer in order to perform some malicious task.

How to stay safe online

Staying safe from malware

There are a number of ways to protect against malware:

Anti-virus software scans all forms of storage devices for viruses (programs harmful to computers) and, if found, attempts to remove them.

Firewall - An application that prevents unauthorised connections to and from the Internet.

Show caution, by:

not opening emails from senders who we do not recognise

not installing programs downloaded illegally

Antivirus software

Antivirus software protects the computer from malware such as viruses and spyware. Antivirus software scans the computer for known malware. If it finds malware, it safely removes it. To remain effective, antivirus software must be regularly updated so that it can recognise and remove as many forms of malware as possible.

A firewall is either a piece of hardware or software that monitors communications coming in from and going out to the internet. Both forms work on a similar basis. The firewall looks for unauthorised communications from malware. Any such communications are blocked by the firewall, preventing the malware from completing its task.

Which of these are Malware?

1. Viruses
2. Hardware
3. Trojans
4. keyboard

Phishing Scams

You might receive emails from someone pretending to be someone you know. The emails are designed to trick you into giving away personal information, such as your usernames and passwords. For example, an email might appear to be sent from a social media website. It might say that a password needs resetting, and might provide a link to reset it. The link would lead to a fake website which looks exactly like the real site. This site will capture your details, allowing an unsavoury character access to your accounts.

Staying safe from phishing

Phishing emails are often quite easy to spot. If in doubt about an email, delete it immediately. Do not follow any links contained in the email. 

An attempt to gain personal information about someone by way of deception, eg sending an email pretending to be from their bank asking them for their bank details.

What should you do if you think you have received a phishing email?

Recognizing Unsavoury Characters

Trolling is the term given to people who visit other peoples’ social media accounts and leave distasteful messages.

Cyberbullying is the bullying of another person using the internet, mobile phones and other digital devices. 

Staying safe from unsavoury characters and cyberbullying

The easiest way to stay safe online is to stay in control of personal information given out.

Never disclose important details such as name, telephone number, address or school. Never accept someone as a ‘friend’ on social media simply because they claim to know another friend of yours. Always be cautious about what you say online.

Never agree to meet anyone in person that you’ve only known online. If somebody does start sending you messages that offend or upset you, tell an adult that you trust.

What should you do if you ever experience cyber bullying/trolling?

What does anti-virus software do?

1. Antivirus software does not scan the computer for known malware. It does not remove it safely.
2. Antivirus software scans the computer for known malware. If it finds malware, it safely removes it.
3. A piece of hardware or software that monitors communications coming in from and going out to the internet.

How does malware get onto your computer?

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.