Prevention of Cyber-Threat Risk Begins at Home
Cyber-Threats and Attacks Are all Too Real Since the Sony hacking scandal broke, there has been intense discussion about cyber-threats! FBI moved cyberthreats to top of law-enforcement agenda because it’s such a serious concern. Former FBI director, James Comey, said, “I see a whole lot of hacktivists, I see a whole lot of international criminal gangs, very sophisticated thieves.” “I see people hurting kids, tons of pedophiles, an explosion of child pornography.” No joke. President Obama recently referred to the internet as being the wild west. “The U.S. will also turn to the...
Read MoreCyber Crime is Big Biz! Steps to Prevent Phishing Scams
Hacking attacks and security breaches… Hacking is in the news all too frequently today. Breaches at Target, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase are a few of the security hacking scandals of criminals breaking into systems that we’ve all heard about. When you first heard the news story of Target, for example, you probably asked yourself, like I did, ” When was the last time you shopped there?” Unfortunately, there is little that you can do to prevent these breaches other than perhaps paying cash for purchases or hiding your money under your mattress. Target’s breach occurred last year...
Read MoreWhat To Do If Your Child is Exposed to Inappropriate Content Online
Recently while giving an Online Safety Presentation I was asked, why doesn’t the government stop porn and other offensive content online? As a child online safety advocate, I would love it if all offensive content were taken down so that our kids weren’t exposed. Unfortunately, there are several reasons why this is an impossible task. Growth of the Internet – The rapid growth of the Internet with 140,000 new websites daily, makes it impossible to keep up with offensive content. Individuals are urged to report offensive content such as hate sites, racist sites, illegal sites, and cyberbullying...
Read MoreShould young children have smartphones?
The holidays are upon us. What are you thinking about getting your young child? Kids are getting devices at earlier and earlier ages. According to a 2013 e-marketer survey – roughly two-thirds of kids between fourteen years old and seventeen years old own a smartphone. No surprise there, right? But you might be shocked to find out that the same survey of parents found that one in four kids two to five years old own a smartphone. That’s right… your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! Pretty amazing isn’t it? Personally I think that’s crazy. Clearly there is money to be made,...
Read MoreWhy You Shouldn’t Be a Helicopter Parent or Spy On Your Kids Online!
Helicopter parenting and spying are both bad ideas… Helicopter parents are those that don’t allow their child to make a move without being right there to protect them at every turn. They are overprotective and step in whenever their child faces a difficult situation, often inappropriately. This is the parent who tries to get a grade changed when their son or daughter gets a poor grade on a test or paper. They may talk to the coach when their child doesn’t get selected for a sports team. The parent believes they are helping their child when in reality their child never learns to handle life on...
Read MoreAre Online Risks Tilting the Scales?
Are Online Risks Tilting the Scales? Weight of Online Risks is Getting Heavier… Would you ever take your child into the heart of a major city and leave them unattended? Of course not! When kids go online via any computer device they are entering a borderless, unregulated world where they can engage with anyone across the globe. They are exposed to all kinds of content, good and bad. There is no doubt that today’s digital world has made parenting more challenging, but parents need to be engaged in their children’s online world just as they are their offline world. The Internet is...
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