When the first Cyber Security Awareness Month was observed in October of 2004, there was no Instagram, no iPhone, no Alexa. The move toward mass digitalization had already begun well before the Y2K freak-out, but the energy, manufacturing and financial sectors were not nearly as dependent on the security of their networks as they are now.
Today, if you hear a bank has been robbed, it’s likely that it was done by criminals on another continent, perhaps backed by a nation-state, than by masked robbers fleeing in a getaway car.
Be your own cyber security advisor
In the new normal, we all have to possess some basic cyber security expertise to operate like normal human beings. And that’s the point of Cyber Security Awareness Month.
In the US, the advice users are given is framed through the slogan “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” European Cyber Security Month centers the premise “Cyber security is a Shared Responsibility” around the theme of “ Stop | Think | Connect”.
Ideally, these activities focus us on the basics of cyber security as we begin the time when digital transactions peak for the year, from Singles Day on November 11—the biggest online sales day of the year—until New Year’s Day.
If you want to know how ready you are, you can try out European Cyber Security Month’s Network and Information Security quiz. Or give our Digital Life Test a try.
Test your friends, colleagues, and family
Want to test the cyber security basics of the people in your life?
Here are 10 quick questions that will help them know if they’re ready to face the digital rush of the shopping season securely.
1. What does the “https://” at the beginning of a URL denote, as opposed to “http://” (without the “s”)?
A. That the site has special high definition
B. That information entered into the site is encrypted
C. That the site is the newest version available
D. That the site is not accessible to certain computers
E. None of the above
2. Which of the following is an example of a “phishing” attack?
A. Sending someone an email that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like an email from someone the person knows
B. Creating a fake website that looks nearly identical to a real website in order to trick users into entering their login information
C. Sending someone a text message that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like a notification that the person has won a contest
D. All of the above
3. A group of computers that is networked together and used by hackers to steal information is called a …
A. Botnet
B. Rootkit
C. DDoS
D. Operating system
E. Don’t know
4. Some websites and online services use a security process called two-step authentication. Which of the following images is an example of two-step authentication?
A.
B.
C.
D. None of these
5. Which of the following four passwords is the most secure?
A. Boat123
B. WTh!5Z
C. into*48
D. 123456
6. Criminals access someone’s computer and encrypt the user’s personal files and data. The user is unable to access this data unless they pay the criminals to decrypt the files. This practice is called …
A. Botnet
B. Ransomware
C. Driving
D. Spam
E. None of the above
7. “Private browsing” is a feature in many internet browsers that lets users access web pages without any information (like browsing history) being stored by the browser.
Can internet service providers see the online activities of their subscribers when those subscribers are using private browsing?
A. Yes
B. No
8. Turning off the GPS function of your smartphone prevents any tracking of your phone’s location.
A. True
B. False
9. If a public Wi-Fi network (such as in an airport or café) requires a password to access, is it generally safe to use that network for sensitive activities such as online banking?
A. Yes, it is safe
B. No, it is not safe
10. What kind of cybersecurity risks can be minimized by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
A. Use of insecure Wi-Fi networks
B. Key-logging
C. De-anonymization by network operators
D. Phishing attacks
Here are the answers
1. What does the “https://” at the beginning of a URL denote, as opposed to “http://” (without the “s”)?
B. That information entered into the site is encrypted
But seeing that “s” in “https://” doesn’t mean your information is secured. Here are 5 ways to know if a website is secure.
2. Which of the following is an example of a “phishing” attack?
A. Sending someone an email that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like an email from someone the person knows
B. Creating a fake website that looks nearly identical to a real website in order to trick users into entering their login information
C. Sending someone a text message that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like a notification that the person has won a contest
D. All of the above
Yes, all of them. You can even be phished over the phone. Here’s how to avoid these scams.
3. A group of computers that is networked together and used by hackers to steal information is called a …
A. Botnet
Use our Online Scanner to check if your PC has been turned into a zombie participant in a botnet.
4. Some websites and online services use a security process called two-step authentication. Which of the following images is an example of two-step authentication?
A.
A. is the right answer. You can use email, and then SMS as your second step for authentication. But our experts recommend you use an app like Google’s Authenticator, which is less likely to be compromised, if you can.
5. Which of the following four passwords is the most secure?
B. WTh!5Z
Any password that includes 123 or any word from a dictionary is terrible. In fact, any password you can remember is terrible. And no matter how good your password is, if you use on more than one account, it is terrible. Use a password manager to avoid terrible passwords.
6. Criminals access someone’s computer and encrypt the user’s personal files and data. The user is unable to access this data unless they pay the criminals to decrypt the files. This practice is called …
B. Ransomware
Here’s how you can avoid being extorted by malware.
7. “Private browsing” is a feature in many internet browsers that lets users access web pages without any information (like browsing history) being stored by the browser. Can internet service providers see the online activities of their subscribers when those subscribers are using private browsing?
B. No
If you want to hide your activity from your service provider, consider a VPN.
8. Turning off the GPS function of your smartphone prevents any tracking of your phone’s location.
B. False
If it were only that easy. A 2018 Princeton study found that a device’s time zone and information from its sensors can be combined with public information like maps to estimate your location, even without GPS data.
9. If a public Wi-Fi network (such as in an airport or café) requires a password to access, is it generally safe to use that network for sensitive activities such as online banking?
B. No, it is not safe
When you are on a public network, your device and traffic are vulnerable to anyone who is in the same hotspot or the hotspot owner.
10. What kind of cyber security risks can be minimized by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
A. Use of insecure Wi-Fi networks
Some VPNs can also protect you from bad websites that serve up phishing scams.
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