Cybersecurity Lessons Every Young Nigerian Should Know
By Mumeenah Oyindamola Abdulrahman
We are the generation that has the internet at our fingertips. Information moves at lightning speed and the world has become a global village. Almost every young person now has access to information daily through tools ranging from social media to e-learning. It is a luxury older generations did not have. One must wonder, how did they survive without it?
Young people are leveraging the internet to position themselves globally. Some are content creators in fashion, tech, travel and lifestyle. Others curate moodboards on Pinterest to map out their dream lives. Even scrolling through memes can brighten a gloomy day. The internet has become our workspace, our classroom, and our playground.
But as much as the internet has its upsides, it has downsides too. This brings me to ask a fundamental question: how much of our lives exists online? The pictures we share, our passwords, location, details about friends and family, social media accounts and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII) all create digital footprints.
So while young people are keen to stay ahead of trends, are we putting the same energy into protecting ourselves from risks in the digital space? The truth is, many of us are not, perhaps because the information to do so is not readily at our disposal. This piece intends to offer just that.
The most common threats we know are scams, catfishing, where people pretend to be someone they are not and cyberbullying, that is the use to technology to harm, harass or embarrass someone. But beyond these, there are quieter dangers that catch many young people off guard.
Take phishing and social engineering. This is where an attacker sends an email, text — smishing — or makes a call — vishing — to impersonate a trusted organisation. Young persons and students are likely to receive an email titled “Alert! Your account is in danger” supposedly from Google, or “Click the link below to get 80% off” from a brand you patronise, or even “Congratulations! You have been selected” for a job you applied for.
These messages seem harmless enough to click but that is exactly what the attackers thrive on because they know many of us do not pay close attention.
Then there is password and account security. Many of us are guilty of using passwords that are easy to guess — birthdays, middle names, pet names. These open the door to compromise. Some of us do create strong, random passwords but then fail to protect them properly, reusing them across different platforms or saving them carelessly.
We also cannot ignore malware and unsafe downloads. We all love free things. Who doesn’t? But there must be discretion when it comes to “free” downloads. Malware is code written to perform unauthorised or harmful actions, and one of the most common ways it spreads is when people download files, movies or apps from untrusted or illegal sources because they are cheaper or free, instead of from authorised sources.
Perhaps the most overlooked is digital safety and our digital footprints. How many of us find it boring to read “terms and conditions” and just click “agree and continue”? Or click “accept all cookies” because we want to move on quickly? As inconvenient as it is, it is a crucial step. You need to know what you are agreeing to, and what rights you are giving a website to store files on your device or track your online activities.
A digital footprint is the trail of data left behind when you use the internet. For young people, a negative footprint, evidence of bad behaviour, immorality or sensitive information, may never be fully erased even after deletion. Worse still, attackers can study your footprint to profile you if it is not managed properly.
So what can be done? First, we must learn to check for red flags. If an email creates urgency or promises an irresistible reward, we should be suspicious. Second, we must use strong passwords that combine letters, numbers and special characters, and enable Multi-Factor Authentication on all important accounts. Changing passwords regularly, especially for accounts with sensitive information, and using a password manager also helps.
We must also be wary of “freebies” from unverifiable sources, and make it a habit to read the fine print before agreeing to terms and conditions. Above all, we must be intentional about what we post. Curating a positive digital footprint is no longer optional; it is part of protecting our future.
Bottom Line
The internet is a powerful tool, but with great access comes great responsibility. Youths must learn to browse smart, click wisely, and protect what matters.
If we do not take ownership of our online safety now, we risk paying for it later.
*Mumeenah is a Computer Science student at Kwara State University (KWASU). She can be reached at [email protected]*
