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In the picture above you can see the four ways trouble usually gets in: an email attachment, a download, a page that pushes something at you as soon as you land on it, and a device other people also use.
Something Real is the real project you are researching this module. Today we lock down the safety words you need before you dig online.
Your Module 4 investigation will pull information from the open web, email, and shared files. Before you dig deeper, you need a clear map of four everyday threats: weak data protection, viruses, other malware, and spam. This lesson is the deep dive on those four terms for the module; later digital-safety lessons only glance back when you apply them. If you can name these threats clearly, you will make safer choices when you research, download files, or open attachments for your Something Real project.
Think quietly: if a free "game installer" also installed something you never agreed to, is that spam, a virus, other malware, or a data-protection problem? Keep your answer ready; in a few minutes the class will sort eight short scenarios on the board.
Here are the four ideas you need. Get the differences straight now, because in the next activity you will use these four names as the labels you sort scenarios into. This is your full grounding for the module — later lessons only revisit these terms briefly.
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| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data protection (GDPR) — rules for how personal data is collected, stored, shared, and deleted. | Your name, school email, photos, and phone number are personal data. Spot when a form asks for more than it needs. | A local club form that collects PPS numbers "just in case" with no stated reason. |
| Virus — malware that copies itself into other files or programs and spreads when those files are shared or run. | Viruses hitch a ride on trusted files, so one careless open can affect a shared machine. | An infected Word file on a shared classroom USB that corrupts other documents when opened. |
| Malware — the umbrella term for software built to harm, spy, lock, or hijack a device (virus is one kind). | If you only watch for "viruses", you miss ransomware, trojans, spyware, and adware. | Ransomware that locks a Work Experience log folder, or a trojan inside a "free edit pack". |
| Spam — unsolicited bulk messages (email or text). Some is only noisy; some carries scam or malware links. | Sorting and deleting fast protects your attention and reduces click risk. | Identical "You have won a Leap Card top-up" emails you never entered for. |
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You do not need to memorise every threat name. If you can spot the door it used, you are already ahead. Pathway labels will come back as talk during the sort — they are not extra cards on the board.
Work as a class. On the board you will see eight scenario cards only:
Sort each scenario into one of four buckets: Virus, Malware (not a virus), Spam, or Data protection issue. First you talk; then you place the cards and check.
Pathway labels (attachment, download, drive-by page, shared device) are discussion prompts your teacher asks about each scenario. They are not separate cards in the interactive — do not look for a "door" card on the board.
These mix-ups are common; use the table as a quick check while you write.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I called every bad thing a virus | Use behaviour first: does it copy into other files (virus), lock or spy or hijack (other malware), flood unsolicited messages (spam), or misuse personal data (data protection)? Virus is only one branch of malware. |
| I mixed up spam with phishing scams | Spam is the bulk unsolicited delivery. A message can be spam and also a scam. For the glossary, define spam as unwanted bulk messages; note that some spam carries links or attachments that lead to further harm. |
| I am not sure what counts as personal data under GDPR | If it can identify a living person on its own or with other details (name, school email, phone, photo of a face, address), treat it as personal data. When unsure, ask your teacher before you collect or share it for project work. |
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