AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS OF INTERNET USERS TO DEAL

WITH THREATS OF CYBER CRIME AT BARANGAY

KIBUDOC, MATALAM, COTABATO

JOSE ENRICO POSADAS ALEJANDROo

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY

SEPTEMBER 2021

1
 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRELIMINARY PAGE

Title Page 1

Approval of Thesis Manuscript

Acceptance of Thesis

Biographical Data

Acknowledgement

Table of Contents 2

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Appendices

Abstract

INTRODUCTION 4

Significance of the study 5

Objectives of the Study 6

Scope and Limitation of the Study 7

2
 Operational Definition of Terms 7

Theoretical Framework 8

Conceptual Framework 8

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9

METHODOLOGY 14

Research Design 14

Locale of the Study 14

Respondents of the Study 14

Sampling Procedure 15

Research Instrument 15

Data Gathering Procedure 16

Statistical Analysis 17

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

LITERATURE CITED 18

APPENDICES 19

Questionnaire 19

3
 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO
Kabacan, Cotabato Philippines

APPROVAL OF THESIS OUTLINE

Name YVAN KATE VELASCO TAÑO
Major N/A
Degree Sought BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY
Specialization N/A
Thesis Title REWRITING THE LAST NOTES: AN ANALYSIS OF
ONLINE SUICIDE POSTS OF FACEBOOK USERS

APPROVED BY THE GUIDANCE COMMITTEE

ROWELL P. NITAFAN, MPA RICHARD T. CAMARA, PhD

Adviser Department Research Coordinator

Date Date

VICENTE T. DELOS REYES, PhD

Department Chairperson

Date

ROWELL P. NITAFAN, MPA MARCOS F. MONDERIN, MA, JD

College Research Coordinator Dean

Date Date

Study No:
Index No:
Recorded by:
RECORDED:

MA. THEODORA_N. CABASAN, PhD

Director for Research and Development

Date
Recorded by:
USM-EDR-F05-Rev.4.2020.11.16 ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGES
PRELIMINARY
APPROVAL OF THESIS OUTLINE..................................................................ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................... iii

LIST OF APPENDICES................................................................................... iv

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 1

Significance of the Study............................................................................ 3

Research Questions................................................................................... 6

Operational Definition of Terms..................................................................6

Theoretical Lens......................................................................................... 7

Limitations of the Study............................................................................ 12

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE..........................................................13

Concept of Suicide.................................................................................... 13

Effects of Life Experiences in Suicidal People............................................15

Motivation to Suicide................................................................................. 16

Suicide Notes........................................................................................... 17

Facebook as a Medium for Writing Suicide Notes......................................22

METHODOLOGY........................................................................................... 25

Research Design...................................................................................... 25

Role of the Researcher............................................................................. 25

Research Subjects and Materials..............................................................26

Data Collection......................................................................................... 26

Data Analysis............................................................................................ 27

Validity...................................................................................................... 27

Ethical Consideration................................................................................ 29
iii
LITERATURE CITED.................................................................................... 30

APPENDICES................................................................................................ 33

CURRICULUM VITAE................................................................................... 41

iv
 LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Title Page

A. Application for Research Adviser..............................................34

B. Application for Research Title....................................................35

C. Estimated Budget of the Research............................................37

D. Application for Thesis Outline Defense.....................................39

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday the Twenty-fifth day of July

two thousand eleven. Republic Act No. 10175 an act defining cybercrime,

providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the imposition of

penalties therefor and for other purposes, also known as the “Cybercrime

Prevention Act of 2012”.

Finally an act that is suitable for this modern era. An era where

smartphones and gadgets are almost used by every citizen. Where everything

is on social media, an era where the world is overran by technological

advancements and everything is already on the internet.

 Nowadays, do we know how safe we are while browsing on the

internet. Does it cause harm to us, or are we even aware about the harm we

might cause to the others. Right now cybercrime are so rampant because of

our own ignorance about it. People not being aware of what they’ve been

doing and posting on social media, might be causing harm to someone or

even putting their own safety at risk.

Currently, this law is somehow effective as it lessens the crime rate for

cyber related crimes. So I as the researcher decided to conduct this research

to
learn more about the causes and effects of cybercrime and the level of

knowledge and awareness of the people in my barangay about these

Cybercrime Offenses. I wanted to do this research in hoping that I will be able

to develop ways on how we should address or treat this problem to create a

better and safer community for us as internet users.

Furthermore, to be able to create a better or develop much more

appropriate policies and strategies when dealing with cyber crimes or

computer/technology related crimes. I say that there is definitely a need to

assess or evaluate the level of awareness and preparedness of the residents

using the internet or simply say individual users of the internet.

Significance of the study

This study will be considered beneficial to the following;

Internet/social media users- This study will help them be aware of what is

cybercrime, what causes cybercrime, what will be it’s effects on them and how

can they prevent it or not commit the crime.

Parents- The study may help them know if their child is currently suffering

cyberbullying, it can also help them by providing the right administration on

how to deal with the victims of cybercrime.

Future researchers- In case someone will be doing the same research this

study will be open for references in future researches.

Objectives of the study

The general objective of the study is to determine the level of awareness of

internet users on cybercrime offenses at brgy. Kibudoc, Matalam, Cotabato.

1. To determine the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms

of : Age, Sex, Educational attainment

2. To determine the perceived awareness of internet users in dealing

threats of Cybercrimes in terms of:

2.1 Knowledge about Computer Crimes (KCC)

2.2 Attitude to risks of Computer Crimes (ACC)

2.3 Exposure to Awareness Raising (EAR)

3. To determine the perceived Preparedness of internet users in dealing

threats of Cybercrimes in terms of:

3.1 Preparedness to Respond (PR)

3.2 Online Behavior (OB)

4. Identify the prevalence types of cybercrime offenses in the Brgy.

5. To propose a local-based cybercrime policy.

Operational Definition of Terms

Awareness- having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge

Cybercrime- criminal activity (such as fraud, theft, or distribution of child

pornography) committed using a computer especially to illegally access,

transmit, or manipulate

Internet- an electronic communications network that connects computer

networks and organizational computer facilities around the world

Rampant- showing no signs of being under control

Suppression- the act of putting down by authority or force

 Theoretical Framework

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, officially recorded as Republic Act

No. 10175, is a law in the Philippines that was approved on September 12,

2012. It aims to address legal issues concerning online interactions and the

Internet in the Philippines. Among the cybercrime offenses included in

the bill are cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal

access to data and libel.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

CyberAwareness
Crimes

Preparedness Policy

Or
Independent variable Dependent variable

Knowledg e on
cybercrimes
Awareness raising Barangay based
Factors in
about cybercrime
determining the policy
Preparedness/ the local based policy
outcome
ability to respond
Demographic
characteristics

Figure1. Schematic diagram of the relationship of the Awareness and

Preparedness of Internet users in dealing with cyber crime threats and it’s

connection In making a baranggay or local based policy to strengthen the law at

Barangay Kibudoc,Matalam,Cotabato.
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Definition of Cybercrime

Cybercrime is so diverse that it covers a wide variety of criminal

offenses, so the definition of cybercrime is not that simple. "Cybercrime, also

known as computer crime, is the use of computers as a tool for other illegal

purposes such as fraud, child pornography and trafficking of intellectual

property, theft of personal information, and invasion of privacy. With

computers becoming the center of commerce, entertainment and government,

cybercrime, especially via the Internet, is becoming more important” (Aaron,

2019). Therefore, he defined cybercrime as a series of crimes. Now, it is

important for us to really understand the meaning and definition of cybercrime

in order to gain insight and insight into the problem. Here are some of the

organization-based definitions:

Based on the 2012 Cybercrime Prevention Act of the Republic of the

Philippines. It aims to address legal issues related to online interaction and the

Internet in the Philippines. Cybercrime crimes included in the bill include

cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal data access,

and defamation.

According to a study of cybercrime at Jammu & Kashmir, "cybercrime is

also called subordinate crime (or" pure "cybercrime) and can only be

committed using computers, computer networks, or other forms of information

and communication technology. It is a crime that can be done (ICT). These

actions
include the spread, hacking, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks of

viruses and other malware "(Gupta, 2018).

Panda Security (2021) defines cybercrime as a crime in which a

computer is the subject of a crime or is used as a tool for committing a crime.

These are part of the definition of cybercrime to help you adequately address

the threat of cybercrime. It is important to really understand the definition of

cybercrime in order to recognize that we may not be victims or commit crimes

ourselves.

Types of Cybercrimes

According to Panda Security (2021), cybercrime falls into three main

categories: personal, property, and government.

Jigsaw Academy has classified the types of cybercrime into 20 different types:

1. Web attack 2. SQL injection 3. Cross-site scripting 4. DDoS attack 5.

Password attack 6. Eavesdropping 7. Brute force and dictionary network attack

8. Internal threat 9. Man-in-The-Middle attack 10. AI-based attacks 11. Drive-

by attacks 12. Phishing attacks 13. Spear phishing attacks 14. Whale fishing

attacks 15. Malware 16. Ransomware 17. Trojan 18. Teardrop Attack 19. Ping

of Death Attack 20. PuP`（Upadhyay、2020）

Cyber crimes related to Individual

In this category of cybercrime, people disseminate malicious or illegal

information online. This includes cyberstalking, pornographic distribution, and

human trafficking.

Cyber crimes related to Property

This is similar to the actual case where a criminal illegally holds

someone's bank or credit card information. Hackers steal personal banking

information to access funds, make online purchases, and commit phishing

scams to trick people into leaking information. You can also use malicious

software to access websites that contain sensitive information.

Cyber crimes related to Government

This is the most common cybercrime, but the most serious. Crime

against the government is also known as cyber terrorism. State cybercrime

includes hacking government websites, military websites, or spreading

publicity. These criminals are usually terrorists or hostile governments in other

countries.

Reality of Cybercrimes

According to a study by Gilbert C. Sosa (2015), cybercrime is one of the

fastest-growing nonviolent crimes in Asia. Addressing these issues requires a

lot of technical know-how and collaboration at home and abroad. This crime
affects different countries to varying degrees, depending on the level of law in

each country. In the Philippines, changes in technical and electronic

conditions require legislation to be enacted or amendments to existing

legislation to fully combat cyber threats.

As Gordon, Hosmer, Siedsma, and Rebovich (2003) brought up, "wrongdoing

happens when there is an absence of skillful guardians and roused culprits

within the sight of reasonable targets.”. The inquiry we need to pose to

ourselves is whether this situation applies. Is there a reasonable objective for

the assault? Will guardians manage the culprits of cybercrime? Are there any

roused culprits? The nation is associated with the internet, so we should know

and be ready. In case we are not the objective of an assault, we really want to

realize that we can have wrongdoing or assault. This is on the grounds that

the assaulted PC can be utilized by an aspiring programmer to assault,

regardless of whether the assailant isn't close to the PC they are utilizing.

The expansion in cybercrime is disturbing. Late exploration shows that as

innovation and secrecy advance on the web, the seriousness and number of

cybercrimes will build step by step. In any case, cybercrime is a danger to all

spaces of society all throughout the planet. Privately owned businesses like

banks, framework organizations, programming organizations, protected

materials, and government offices are definitely insusceptible to digital

dangers.
Karla T. Cabel (2019) reports that cybercriminals positioned in one nation can

perpetrate wrongdoings in another.

Dangers of Cyber Crime

The number of zero days being exploited in the wild is “off the charts,” Corellium

COO Matt Tait warned during Black Hat 2021 cited by Waldman (2021).

According to his keynote, the number of zero days being detected and exploited

in the wild is the highest it has been in eight years. Tait attributed the tremendous

increase to the offense taking off the gloves. In which it means this is both in the

government sector, doing espionage, and in the financially motivated crime ware

industry, ransomware. It’s getting to the point now where it’s beginning to

overwhelm our ability to respond in the defensive sector. It is definitely true that

the rapid growth in our technology made great progress making everything faster,

process things faster and made our communication much more easier and

convenient. Thus, all this advancements didn’t only stop there and because of it

we are also constan9 inviting dangers awaiting to be discovered. Just think about

all the data that we’ve been uploading on the internet. Makes it already extremely

beneficial for those who have criminal minds, because it would be much easier for

them to accumulate information about their target.

“Government agencies are below average in all types of vulnerabilities” Nichols

(2021). Exposed servers that are poorly maintained, and in some cases left

untouched for months, are the best points of entry for hackers. Cyber crimes

although it seems to not pose an extreme threat to the real world considering it
only happens virtually through the internet, made the people think that it’s ok and

it doesn’t need to be extra cautious about it. And that’s where it all happens,

neglecting a crime because of that mind set made it even more dangerous, this

tend to create a false sense of security that makes people to be a bit complacent

when going on line. This ignorance by those internet users of the dangers lurking

out there in the cyber space can cost an organization as well as the individual

dearly.

Awareness on Cyber Crime

Awareness plays a big role in preventing cybercrime or computer related crimes

as it allows the relationship between user’s action or inaction and cybercrimes

attacks or commission to become clear. The awareness makes it easier for the

users and system administrators to be able to maintain and monitor an intrusion

detection system that requires investigation. The first line of defense in

cybercrime is users’ awareness of the existing dangers or threats. Simply being

an internet user doesn’t exempt a person safe from being a victim or committing

the crime themselves. Ignorance of the law doesn’t exempt those who aren’t

aware just because they didn’t know for themselves that they have committed a

crime against another person or anything. The concept of computer crime

awareness in this research is that the user is aware of various forms of computer

crimes and their mitigations. An informed internet user will have a greater capacity

to recognize and respond to risks of computer crimes.

Computer crime awareness will generally tend to increase knowledge and better

computer practice by individual users of computers. Thus leading everyone to a

better and safer internet browsing free from computer related crimes with

awareness as their primary weapon for security.

Preparedness on Cyber Crime

Cyber crime preparedness can be considered to be the ability of an individual to

maximize his potential to deal with cyber threats while minimizing the cost that is

bound to arise from a successive attack. Computer users should be pro- active

when dealing with cyber threats rather than being re – active. They should be in a

position to detect the threat before intrusion or occurrence of the event; being pro-

active means that they have taken the necessary measures to safeguard

themselves

from cyber attacks by having the necessary knowledge and technologies to

prevent the attacks or security breaches. They should have the necessary and

appropriate tools as well as the correct procedure of deploying these tools in

place. Thus in this research what we aim to find out is whether individual users

have any awareness at all about computer crimes as well as whether they are

prepared at all
 Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

In carrying out this research a descriptive survey design will be used in

assessing the awareness and preparedness of the internet end user in dealing

with risks of computer crimes; since it is considered the most appropriate. This

is given the fact that the researcher will have no intention of influencing the

various variables in this research. Descriptive Research have the ability to give

room for finding for more information, exploring new ideas and at the same time

generating discussions and information on emerging concerns on the line of

thought. A descriptive study describes the existing conditions through

observation and interpretation, and this is what this study is intending to do.

Locale of the study

The study will be conducted at Kibudoc, Matalam, Cotabato. The

researcher choose Barangay Kibudoc of Matalam due to its accessibility and

because the target respondents are exclusive to the said barangay.

15
Respondents of the Study

The study will be focusing on the internet users of barangay Kibudoc,

Matalam and there will be 50 respondents.

Sampling Procedure

The researcher will use Purposive Sampling in choosing the

respondents. Since convenience sampling makes it easier for me as a

researcher to gather my respondents in our current situation considering the

danger of the covid-19 pandemic.

Research Instrument

The research instrument that the researcher will be using is adopted from

King’Ori Peter Maina “Assessment of Awareness and Preparedness of

Cybercafé Internet Users to Deal with Threats of Cyber Crime” 2014 study

questionnaire. The questionnaire itself had four sections. Section A is dealing

with the demographic information about the respondent, section B has nine

questions to gather some addition background information about the

respondent. Section C have a total of twenty eight questions which were used

to capture information on knowledge of computer crimes, attitude to risks of

computer crimes, exposure to awareness raising, preparation to respond to

computer crimes and online behavior. In this section each item is measured on

five point Likert – type scale

which is aimed at testing the level agreement with the various indicators used.

The scale has two extreme end points of “strongly agree” (5) to “strongly

disagree” (1). Section D with two question captured information on computer

incidences experienced by the internet user.

Data Gathering Procedure

To data collection multi – stage sampling will be done. This involves

randomly selecting the youths or adolescents within Kibudoc that has access to

the internet or possess gadgets capable of accessing the internet. The

researcher will ask for permission to carry out the study in the barangay SK

officials. This will be performed through a house to house visit to the target

respondents as well as a mass call out to the youth in our barangay to be done

by the SK officers. After the consent is obtained, questionnaires will be then

administered to the who were also selected randomly. Those selected are first

requested to answer the questionnaire and in the process the purpose of the

research will be explained to them; if they agree to be respondents, the

questionnaire will be given to them. Those who are not willing to take part in the

research are left out. The exercise is expected to be done within three weeks

time, since consents and the presence of the respondents shall be considered

before proceeding into distribution of questionnaires.

Statistical Analysis

Data coding will be done in order to ease the derivation summaries and

meaning from it. The data collected will be analyzed using Statistical Package

for Social Scientist software version 20.0 and Excel. The data will be presented

using Descriptive statistics in terms of frequencies, means and percentages.

Descriptive Statistics generally provide a powerful summary that can allow for

comparison and conclusions to be drawn. The analysis of the questionnaire will

be done by tabulation using simple descriptive statistical measures such as

frequency tables, means and percentages and then relevant implication of

these values are noted; For conclusions to be able to be drawn. The purpose of

using frequency tables, means and percentages is to make the work of drawing

conclusions and passing the same to interested parties

 LITERATURE CITED

Aaron, D.M.(2019, September 19). Cybercrime. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/cybercrime

Yap-Sulit, S. (2012, September 12)The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Google.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybercrime_Prevention_Act_of_2012#:~:t
ext=It%20aims%20to%20address%20legal,access%20to%20data%20an d
%20libel.

Gupta, A. (2018). Geography. International Journal for Research in Applied

Science and Engineering.
Technologyhttps://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-Study-on-
Cybercrime-in-Jammu-%26-Kashmir-
Gupta/6ca5df78fc31c129fb217bfe463d606d6bbeb288

(2021, April 26). Types of Cyber crimes.

https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/panda-security/types-of-
cybercrime/

Upadhyay, I. (2020). Cyber Security. 20 Important Types of Cyber Crimes To

Know in 2021. https://www.jigsawacademy.com/blogs/cyber-security/types-of-
cyber-crime/amp/#commentform

Cabel, K.T. (2019) Combating Cybercrime in the Philippines.

https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No97/No97_IP_Philippines.
pdf
Sosa, G.C. (2015). Country Report on Cybercrime: The
Philippines.
*https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No79/No79_12PA_Sosa.pdf

Waldman, A. (2021). Matt Tait warns of 'stolen' zero-day vulnerabilities:

Search Security.
https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/252504895/Matt-Tait-warns-of-
stolen-zero-day-vulnerabilities?
_gl=1*15jlclw*_ga*MTcwNDY5OTY4NS4xNjM2MTY1ODIx*_ga_TQKE4GS5
P9*MTYzNjE2NTc5OS4xLjEuMTYzNjE2NjAwNC4w&_ga=2.86948189.4396
79449.1636165828-1704699685.1636165821

Nichols, S. (2021). Zscaler: Exposed servers, open ports jeopardizing

enterprises https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/252502554/Zscaler-
Exposed-servers-open-ports-jeopardizing-enterprises?
_gl=1*23jm8q*_ga*MTcwNDY5OTY4NS4xNjM2MTY1ODIx*_ga_TQKE4GS5
P9*MTYzNjE2NTc5OS4xLjEuMTYzNjE2NzE2OS4w&_ga=2.118839628.439
679449.1636165828-1704699685.1636165821
 APPENDICES

RESEARCH QUESTIONAIRE

Part I : Respondent Information

Please tick appropriately using [√] in the square brackets provided:
1. Please indicate your
gender? Male [ ] Female
[]

2. What is your highest level of education?

Postgraduate [ ], Bachelor’s Degree [ ], Diploma [ ], Others [ ]

3. Age in years: 18 – 22 [ ], 23 – 27 [ ], 28 – 32 [ ],
33 – 37 [ ], Above 38 [ ]

Age, Sex, Educational attainment

Part II – Perceived awareness of internet users in dealing threats of
Cybercrimes

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements

by ticking the appropriate box:
Key: Strongly Agree (SA); Agree (A); Disagree (D) Strongly
Disagree (SD)

2.1 Knowledge about Computer Crimes (KCC)

No. Statement SD D A SA
KCC 1 There are risks involved whenever I am
working online.
KCC 2 I am aware of the various computer
crimes I am likely to be exposed to while
working online.
KCC 3 It is always advisable to log in as a user
rather than an administrator whenever
going on line.
KCC 4 There is no risk in using the same
password for different accounts.
KCC 5 I need to change my password
regularly/frequently.
KCC 6 Any password I use should have at least
eight characters which should be a
combination of alphabets, digits &
symbols.
2.2 Attitude to risks of Computer Crime (ACC)

No. Statement SD D A SA
ACC1 I have no problem sharing my password
with someone else.
ACC2 I have no problem if someone is looking
over my shoulder as I key in my
password.
ACC3 I should use the same password for
different accounts.
ACC4 I should have authentication before
accessing information in my computer.
ACC5 I have no problem with unauthorized
copying of data or information.
2.3 Exposure to Awareness Raising (EAR)
No. Statement SD D A SA
EAR 1 I have been getting information on
computer-related threats and crime from
the media
EAR 2 There is need to attend formal training in
computer to be able to avoid computer
crimes
EAR 3 Institutions of learning should make it
mandatory to learn about computer
crimes
EAR 4 I have no problem downloading Free
Software and then copying the same to
a friend.
EAR 5 It is important to control the access of
others to my computer by using different
User Account.
EAR 6 All web sites should block my account
when they see a large number of failed
login attempts.
Part III - Preparedness to Cyber Crime threat
3.1 Preparation to Respond (PR)
No. Statement SD D A SA
PR 1 I should only have Genuine operating
system installed on my computer.
PR 2 Firewalls and antivirus should be
necessary features in my personal
computer (PC) whenever going online.
PR 3 I should update both the antivirus and
operating system installed in my PC at
all times.
PR 4 Apart from the antivirus installed in my
PC, another kind of security program
should be added.
PR 5 I should do a full system anti-virus scan
on my PC at least once in a week.
PR 6 I need to backup my data regularly so as
to avoid data loss in case of a computer
crash.

3.2 Online Behavior

No. Statement SD D A SA
OB 1 I should spam all emails from people I
do not know.
OB 2 I should always open emails with
attachment from a person that I know.
OB 3 I should comply with pop-up messages
from my Internet Service Provider
(ISP) providing a linking’s for
verification or
update account information.
OB 4 I should ignore pop up messages on the
screen when online informing me that I
 24

have won some money and inviting me

to click on a link provided.
OB 5 I should allow the browser to store my
password in order to ease accessing the
net.

Part IV- Types of Cybercrimes Experienced

Types of cybercrime
Identity theft
Phishing
Malware
Security hacker
Cyberstalking
Ransomware
Cyberbullying
Denial-of-service attack
Botnet
Cyberterrorism
Spamming
Computer virus
Logic bomb
Email spoofing