Development of Mobile Application that Detects Phishing Messages to Decrease the Percentage of Data Theft during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has established not only a health emergency, but has generated an emergency in the control of personal data of all those people who make use of technological means, which increased the activity of phishing which consists of the theft of personal data through the circulation of false information through the different social networks, in addition, the circulation with messages related to the cure of this disease only for the theft of data. This research develops a mobile application that detects malicious URLs found within the content of textmessages. The developed application performs an analysis of the URLs according to the database that is updated with each attack detected, performing a blocking of the content and notifies the user of the actions that canbetaken, with this the theft of the personal data of the users is avoided. This application is very useful for all those people who use mobile equipment (mobile) and have no knowledge of these types of attacks, since they are likely to perform the actions that the perpetrators foresee for the obtaining of their personal data, so this application provides a means of security against these types of phishing attacks. © 2022 by the Author(s).

A review of panic buying: the mediation of illusory truth effect and persistence due to herd mentality and confirmation bias

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has been experiencing severe stress and feelings of anxiety. Social media in particular has been shown in the literature to be a major contributing medium for the widespread distribution of misinformation concerning COVID-19. The rapid dissemination of fake news concerning supply shortages of certain essential items has increased pandemic-related behaviours such as panic buying. Factors that have led to panic buying include: perceived threat of an event, perceived product scarcity, fear of the unknown, and coping methods to gain control. Although these factors are prevalent reasons that induce panic buying behaviours, they do not explain the mechanisms of perception formation. It is possible that heuristics (i.e. availability, and affect), which are reinforced by social media posts, aid in the development of the illusory truth effect. This psychological phenomenon may be the root cause of the public’s false perceptions of pandemic-related events. This paper reviews the impact of the illusory truth effect as a mediator in processing misinformation from social media and the news as truths that inevitably encourages panic buying behaviour. Furthermore, this paper examines the persistence of the illusory truth effect due to herd mentality and confirmation bias in the perpetual cycle of irrational decision making. In conclusion, the illusory truth effect has been demonstrated to be a key cognitive bias that strengthens with repetitive exposure to adverse sentiments related to COVID-19, and is likely to be maintained through herd mentality and confirmation bias in social situations. Although more research must be conducted to solidify this theory, the current review aims to serve as a basis for further research on the illusory truth effect and potentiate solutions in the prevention of adherence to this effect. © 2022, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of global rural teleoncology and future routes for teleoncology research in the context of Canadian rural areas: a narrative review of the literature

Background: To limit the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus during in person interactions, modes of telemedicine, such as teleoncology, have been on the rise more than ever. This narrative review examines the effectiveness of current Canadian teleoncology services in providing adequate services to the residents of Canadian rural areas. This paper also seeks to analyze current international research and models of teleoncology and how they may be applicable in a Canadian rural context. The paper additionally provides well-supported and appropriate suggestions for future developments of Canadian rural teleoncology and future research directions within the field. Methods: Through a literature search on platforms like Google Scholar, 14 Canadian and international pieces of literature have been selected and reviewed. Common trends of teleoncology strengths and weaknesses have been retrieved, analyzed and summarized. Results: Upon analysis of advantages and disadvantages, it can be stated that teleoncology is a relevant mode of healthcare delivery in the current Canadian context. Despite its limitations, teleoncology can enhance and diversify the quality and types of services delivered to Canadians, especially those in rural areas. Conclusion: Overall, it can be safely deduced that teleoncology has the potential of becoming a prominent aspect of the future of healthcare especially in Canadian rural contexts. The next step towards enhancing the Canadian rural teleoncology system is to gain a better understanding of this system through more recent, standardized research. This can be followed by careful examination of the international status of teleoncology for potential inspirations for change and areas of research. In its analysis, the paper at hand provides a series of suggestions for future areas of research in this topic and potential methodologies for enhancing current Canadian rural teleoncology. © 2022, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.