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The days of a digital virus being the most dangerous thing on the internet are behind us. With the much better in-built security of modern browsers and operating systems, you would have to intentionally go out of your way to get a computer virus on your PC. Suspicious websites and suspicious files will be flagged immediately and won’t be an issue unless you manually open them despite the warnings. So where do modern online security threats come from? Sadly, the main threat is from other people – and sometimes without them doing anything legally wrong. In an age where our lives are inextricably linked online, we have to adapt to the new cyber threats of phishing, dealing with scammers, and knowing not to always listen to our favorite online personalities.

Some of these threats are evolutions of decades old practices. A few examples would be getting a call from someone claiming to be from your bank asking for your banking details. They may even resort to emails or text messages to get you attention. Some even target a younger, more tech-savvy group through apps like Discord. It’s easy to send small files or software packages through these apps that can have devastating consequences if you carelessly click on it. The easiest way to avoid these would be to simply ignore them.

What’s harder to ignore are people with large online platforms such as popular YouTubers and other social media influencers. It has become an unfortunate occurrence of recent years for these large online presences to peddle pump and dump schemes using cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Many of their followers may be on the younger side without much financial experience and are likely to buy into whichever random cryptocoin or NFT that they are told will be the next big thing – only to find their investment go down to zero in the dump while the influencer who advertised the coin most likely made a lot of money from the pump.

It’s impossible to be on alert 24/7 for online troublemakers, but there are a few things you can keep in mind that will help you out. Never open a link or program that a stranger sends you. Never open an email attachment from a sender you don’t know. Never take financial advice from online streamers or makeup gurus. It’s easier than ever for malicious people to target you online, and the easiest way to not give them any headway is just by ignoring them.

The old phrase “stranger danger” applies not just to children, but to anyone who’s using the internet in the modern-day. And it also helps to have your operating system and antivirus software up to date.

About the author: Maldivian Gaming League is a team of e-sports organizers and competition promoters based in the Maldives. For more information, check them out on Facebook or Instagram.