As the world grows ever smaller thanks to the internet and social media, the dangers associated with these technologies continues to persist

These threats span from the spread of misinformation and disinformation, to hacking, to fake articles, emails or messages trying to dupe people into passing on personal information or sending money.

On the latter point, we have all received emails in the past requesting information or the sending of money. The need to always check if a request is valid before sending information, and to ensure that it isn't a scam must become normal practice.

But then there are malicious actions which aim to cause widespread issues.

Just last week Malta saw a situation where a major medical provider, St James Hospital, said said that it had been the target of a "sophisticated cyber-attack" which was immediately contained.

Cyber-attacks occur everywhere, and these situations highlight the importance of the authorities and major companies being able to respond swiftly and effectively to such attacks.

Those behind malicious attacks continue to develop new and more sophisticated methods, and constant training of law enforcement and the development of new programmes and methods to counter such attacks and catch those responsible is of the utmost importance. This also requires effective coordination between the authorities in different countries, given that an attack would not necessarily originate from the same country.

When it comes to the spread of disinformation and misinformation, these issues continue to be a concern and even a threat to democracy.

An article published by the Associated Press read about disinformation being used to influence the citizens of Romania. "Romanians are confronting a deluge of online disinformation ahead of a fraught presidential election redo next week, including ominous claims that the NATO member country is surging toward 'imminent war' with Russia. The campaign, attributed to unidentified anti-government and pro-Russian actors, underscores how large social media platforms can be exploited to fuel distrust and spin anti-Western narratives," the article reads.

Social media is an important tool through which people can use to keep in contact with friends and family across the world, to keep informed and to share ideas and thoughts, and share experiences with others. However, these tools are being abused by those who want to spread disinformation and misinformation.

Another aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is AI. As AI continues to develop, so too will the realism of deepfake videos and false photographs. Being able to distinguish between what is real and what is not will become ever more important.

Locally there have been incidents of misinformation, where news websites were spoofed in the past, with fake sites carrying a fake story were set up to look like an official news website and spread on social media.

The spread of misinformation and disinformation highlights the importance of media literacy in today's world, which should be thought in all schools. Education is a key tool of fighting back against the deluge of misinformation and disinformation that is on the web. Getting news from trustworthy sources, even multiple trustworthy sources if unsure, and not relying on something seen on social media as fact are things which in today's world are a must in order to keep properly informed.