Internet Safety Tips: How to Protect Your Kids from Falling Prey to Cyber Criminals and Malware

Cyberspace presents a lot of unknowns and can be both a fun and scary place for adults and children alike. Oftentimes, kids embrace the Internet as a world of fantasy and expect unbridled freedoms, which mean most haven't a clue that evil is lurking over in the corner. Parents need to warn children of all ages about the hidden dangers online and how to protect themselves from cyber-predators, bullies, scammers and overall people wishing them harm. Also, kids should avoid negative Internet behavior that could challenge them or their parents legally.

The Office of National Statistics on average puts computers in households at 75% in 2009, up from 70% in 2007. This same report says Internet use is also on the rise and is around 71%, and that households with children are most likely to have Scotty beam them up than those without.

As more and more children enter into cyberspace and the cyber vampires continue to prowl for new blood, it is imperative we adults practice good Internet security and share the same with our children. Here are a few tips and ways you can introduce your child or teenager to good Internet security practices:

Do As I Say and As I Do

Children are impressionable and usually mimic behavior of their parents or role models, which we know can be good or bad depending on the example shown. Make sure that you, the parent or adult role model, practice what you preach, so that your child will not question your instructions or rebel and run into the arms of a cyber criminal.

Keep Passwords Secret and Strong

Remove the veil and teach your child that cyberspace is more reality than fantasy, and that ultimately behind every click or communication is a real human being who may or not be their age, and who may not always have good intentions. So teach them the importance of protecting their identity the same way they would if encountering a stranger in everyday life.

Passwords not only grant access but too are meant to offer a level of protection for PC users. Teach your child the importance of establishing strong passwords, what it really means, and why they should 'never' share it with anyone. Here are other password security measures:

1. Do not reveal it to anyone and don't write it down, not even if someone asks for this information by email. Just say no!
2. Offer memorable ways to create a password but make sure it is strong and can withstand the test of Microsoft's free password checker.
3. When using public computers, avoid accessing sensitive websites requiring your username and secret password. It is simple for cyber criminals to inject public PCs with Trojan keyloggers or malicious program known for stealing passwords, usernames, bank or credit card information.
4. Practice and preach the necessity of changing passwords on occasion and coincide the update with a memorable date or event to make it seamless.

Surfing: Just When You Thought It Was Safe

Cyber criminals, especially cyber predators, are targeting children who spend countless hours on the Internet... surfing. Cyber criminals setup websites solely for malicious purposes and have managed to get these infectious domains listed on reputable search engines such as Google. Because of these deceptive tactics, surfing the World Wide Web can be like tiptoeing in a landmine. Yet to suggest kids not to surf on the Internet would be the same as suggesting they never eat candy or play video games. Not probable. Instead let's teach them the deception behind a lot of websites and malware on the Internet and use preventative measures, including software program and tools, to further protect them.

1. Discourage blind clicking on dubious links or pop-up ads. Kids and adults sometimes unknowingly click on links laced with malware that not only damage important files, but secretly plant infectious files, allowing theft of sensitive data and secret remote access to hackers for malicious purposes.
2. Teach them how to double-check if the website they are seeing advertised in some pop-up ad is valid. For instance, if a Disney ad caught their eye, tell them to access it directly by entering the official domain or URL in their browser.
3. Discourage pirating, it is illegal and is usually laced in malware that wreck havoc on your PC and valuable data.
4. When surfing and landing on new but unverified websites, tell them to never, ever download anything until they check with you, the parent. An infectious download can invite a world of trouble and can leave your bank account empty and your PC compromised. Freeware, shareware, and a codec used for viewing free movies are notoriously known for having infectious files attached.
5. If the kids are too young to grasp the true dangers of Internet surfing or simply are not taking the threat serious, parents have the right to enforce rules of use and there are programs willing to help you.
   • Microsoft Windows makes available Security and Safety features, including parental controls, built within their operating systems that help you monitor and/or restrict use. Learn more here.
   • Mac also offers parental controls that may help you keep malware pest and cybercriminals at bay. Learn more here.

Going Phishing?

You have worms and you have phishing but both of these malware terms have absolutely nothing to do with the water sport or activity. Phishing is a dangerous fact gathering technique being employed by cyber criminals to help lure and dupe unsuspecting PC users into their scam nets. Children are most trusting and need help identifying and avoiding hidden traps.

1. Children should never give their full name, address or any other personal or identifiable information over the net waves without parental consent.
2. Children should avoid clicking dubious links and at a minimum, make sure the site is secure and encrypts data by checking the Internet transfer protocol 'HTTP' has a 's' after it, so: HTTPS. Lately, cyber criminals have been hijacking Facebook accounts not having a secured or encrypted connection.
3. Never provide any kind of personal data or information such as friends' or family's names, where you go to school or church, or vacation plans, etc. to unknown sources. Avoid opening emails in which you do not know the source and delete spam without opening. Purchase and encourage use of a physical diary to record their most intimate experiences and include a lock for privacy. Hopefully, this will deter the need to share it with strangers who might be able to maliciously use it against them.

Cyber Criminal Gold Mine: Social Networking

Is your child the social butterfly? Then he or she might assume that everyone they talk or chat with online is their true friend. Yes, there are many children just like yours innocently making friends, but sadly all is not sugar and spice in cyberspace, and the person on the other end of that cutesy avatar and name might not be so nice.

1. Know the type of social network website your child is signing up for and will spend time sharing personal information. Make sure it is age appropriate and that there are strict rules and guidelines to protect the rights of children.
2. Help your child to understand the difference of a neighborhood friend, a person they can see and touch on a daily basis, versus an online stranger who they have never met in person, who may or may not be their age, may live in another country or extreme miles away, or may not have their best interest at heart.
3. Tell them to never agree to meet anyone online without the advice and approval of a parent.
4. Limit the amount of time your child spends on any website or the Internet as a whole.
5. Share latest news about increasing social networking scams on Twitter, Facebook, and other sites so you child can be prepared and avoid becoming a victim.
6. Tell them not to freely share any friends' list with vendors or unknown individuals, since it can maliciously be used to scam others without them knowing.
7. They should not fall for social network phishing scams that use fun games to collect their personal data. Examples:
   • Name 8 things only your best friend would know.
   • Write 6 descriptions that best describe your personality.
   • Where did you get your first kiss and with whom?

Final Word:

I admit, cyberspace in many ways has become a cyber war zone as more malware and deception find its way onto the information highways. But, unfortunately, technology is a fatal attraction and per national survey and records, is growing stronger and stronger each day. We may not be able to totally wipe clean the dirty highways of the cyber world, but we can practice good Internet security and ensure our children do the same.

Do not let your guard down. Remember to keep a registered and up-to-date anti-malware solution loaded on your PC, and always stay atop of software upgrades that patch known vulnerabilities.

Did I miss something? Let us know so that our readers can help their children enjoy the best and avoid the worst of the Internet. Stay safe.