If you have been reading my posts you will notice that a number of points keep popping up. The reason for this is of course that these particular points are vital to keeping yourself safe online. For the few out there who want to do the minimum in order to stay safe I am laying out 5 golden rules to follow.
1) Keep your software updated
Updating software, whether it be on your phone, laptop, or television, is extremely important. When hackers discover new ways to steal your data, gadget and software companies usually work quickly to release fixes for those vulnerabilities. Once a fix is in place an update becomes available and you should download this update, I try to set as many applications as possible to do automatic updates or in the case of my phone I set it running at night time when its not been used.
2) STOP using the same password everywhere
You are living in an age of big hacks and data breaches if you use the same password everywhere once your details are stolen once all your accounts are compromised. And you can be guaranteed that there is a high possibility your details have already been stolen from somewhere.
3) Don't fall for phishing scams
These scams are getting more and more frequent and the attacks been used are becoming more professional. I recently received an email claiming to be a free password security tester, the email asked me to enter my password to test how strong it is and of course I deleted it as its purpose was of course to steal my password. Be smart when you receive phone calls and emails that you are not expecting and never open an application you receive in an email with the file extension .exe.
4) Add recovery contact information to your accounts
This is important you should always have two different contact methods on your accounts. The reason for this is if you forget your password and lose your phone well then your snookered and you may be locked out of that account forever, leaving your information hanging in cyber space. The second reason for this is If your account is compromised, companies will probably try to let you know. But that’s only possible if they have some means of getting in touch with you on file.
5) Enable two factor authentication
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring another code in addition to your memorized password. That code can be sent to your smartphone via a text or generated by an app. With two-factor authentication, even if a hacker has your username and password, he or she won’t be able to access your account unless they also have your smartphone — not a likely scenario. I ask if you don't do any of the above at least do this one and give yourself some chance of staying protected.
This is the second post I have done on this topic and the reason for this is the increasing amount of questioning that I have been getting from parents around this area. I think in the past year the message is starting to sink in that real threats do occur online and you need to be aware of how to mitigate against them. First of all can I say that educating your child on how to use a computer can be very beneficial but use this time wisely educate your child how to master IT skills through the likes of your local coder dojo or local computer classes for children, I would not however suggest letting your child have unlimited access to your ipad or family computer. In many cases, kids are more technologically advanced than adults, so some parents may feel intimidated and refrain from enforcing rules that are imperative to protect their children as they surf and socialize online. This is a very real fact there are however ways for parents to educate themselves so they can take a more interactive role in how they deal with there children's use of online forums. Security software is one way to restrict what kids see and do on the web, taking a lot of pressure off parents to stay current with every new risk. But it’s still important that parents get involved with their kids’ online lives, and make sure that their children know how to act and how to react to what they see on the web. Communicating the dangers of the web to your child and staying involved in what they can and cannot do online helps build up an understanding of what is safe and acceptable.
In order to communicate these dangers parents firstly need to understand what the potential threats may be. The number one threat to children today be meeting a predator online, but there are many other online experiences that can result in inappropriate or illegal activity. Kids need to be told that not everything they read online is true, and that there is a lot of material on the web that is not meant for them. This material can include fascist sites, pornography sites, drug sites, and other explicit content that an unprotected child can easily view. To help mitigate these risks there are many new software options available such as filtering technologies, child-safe browsers and search engines that restrict where your child can surf.
Loss of privacy is a another big risk. Kids must be shown how important it is to protect their personal information and the information of their family and friends. Many child-oriented web sites solicit information from kids in surveys and forms in exchange for prizes, and get them to register online for fan clubs. In chat rooms, sharing their gender, age, and favorite hangout could seem harmless, but predators can easily use this information to track down the child. Parents need to be aware that digital predators often pose as children in order to gather information and ultimately meet their unsuspecting victims. But kids also flirt and pretend to be older than they actually are, not thinking about the potential results of such actions. It is also common for kids to get into online fights or become the target of bullying via email, chat, and instant messaging, this type of behavior can sometime consume the victim so much that they become withdrawn and with no physical marks to show from such behavior it can become hard for parents to figure out whats going on. With the introduction of such apps like snapchat where the messages disappear from the victims phone within seconds it can be very hard for a child to prove that the bullying exists. I would strongly recommend that parents are very aware of what messaging apps your child is using and carefully monitor there activity especially if the child's behavior starts to change.
Blogs such as this one and Social networking sites such as Facebook are places where kids can share too much information—not only names and addresses but also personal photos that sometimes show illegal acts, such as underage drinking or drug use. Ask your kids to share their blogs or online profiles with you so you can check the content. If you are spicious that your kids are hiding content from you then use Google, along with the search tools on social networking sites, to search for profiles your child may have posted. Use your child’s full name, phone number, and other identifying information. You can also use Google images to upload a picture they may use on social media sites and this will trawl the web for that pictures or ones that may be similar.
The next threat vector parents need to be aware of is Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing this alone creates new issues and privacy problems. These programs allow people to browse and download files from Internet-connected personal computers of anyone else who uses the same program. This makes it easy for cyber criminals to spread viruses, Trojan horses, and spyware. Kids can also accidentally download pornography that is labeled misleadingly. I would strongly suggest that you don't allow your children to use such services unless you are able to closely monitor the content. Setting up a virtual machine will help mitigate the threat of malware and virus's to your main machine if you run your p2p service off the virtual machine but it will not prevent your child accidentally downloading porn.
So how do parents go about becoming proactive about the above? I have complied a list of ten things that you should sit down with your children and go through. The below list will set out clear boundaries for your child and let them know that you care and are taking a proactive role about there online security.
1) Monitor your child's online activity this is by far the most important step to take. Limit the chance that they are looking up inappropriate material by putting the computer in a high-traffic family area and limit there usage. There are loads of child monitoring software packages out there so do your own research to find a software that meets your needs and budget.
2) Fortify your computer with strong security software and make sure to keep it up to date I have wrote about the importance of this in past blogs so take a look through my posts if you need help with this. Using software such as The McAfee® Internet Security Suite guarantees protection from viruses, hackers, and spyware. It filters offensive content, pictures, and web sites. The anti-virus software will also protect your computer from viruses and spyware by automatically scanning email attachments and files downloaded from P2P file-sharing sites. For the most complete way to keep your children safe online, use McAfee Family Protection. It keeps children of all ages safe from exposure to inappropriate content, social networking risks, strangers, and other online threats. With McAfee, kids are free to safely explore, learn, and enjoy their online interests.
3) Make sure kids understand basic rules for using social networking sites such as Facebook and blogs. They should guard their passwords, and never post personally identifying information or inappropriate photos. Blogs and social networking sites offer privacy tools that can be turned on to restrict potentially dangerous users. The sites automatically provide these protective tools to kids under 15. Kids should share information only with people they know from the real world. Make sure that your kids understand that there are bad people online to and they may not be who they claims its very easy make up a fake social media account.
4) Never ever let your child arrange in-person meetings with people they meet online. If however for some reason you think that this is acceptable you should confirm the person’s identity, and you should accompany your child to the meeting in a public place.
5) When using P2P file-sharing programs, kids should not download files from users whom they don’t know. They could be downloading infected files, pictures, games, and music that are inappropriate, or media files protected by copyright law. As I said above using a virtual machine for this activity will save your computer if they do download a virus. Also its important to note that kids should not allow users to upload their music files unless they’re certain that they have permission to share them. You can disable the upload feature so that your kids don't inadvertently share files without permission.
6) Don’t allow kids to fill out online forms or surveys. If there is a legitimate site where they want to register, such as Nickelodeon or Disney, have them come to you first so you can check the site’s privacy policy and rules of conduct. You should take the time to read there privacy statement but I suggest use a throw away email address for such sign ups and limit the amount of factual information you need to share.
7) Only allow your children to use monitored chat rooms, and have them use a screen name that doesn’t hint at their true identity. As with blogs and MySpace, kids should never reveal personal information or share photos. Make sure they understand that people can lie about who they are and that online friends are still strangers.
8) Teach your kids to ignore emails and instant messages from people they don’t know. They should never open attachments they are not expecting nor click on links in messages. As with blogs and Facebook, they should not send out personal information.
9) Use browsers for kids and kid-oriented search engines. Children’s browsers such as Google safe search for kids do not display inappropriate words or images. It comes pre-loaded with kid-safe web sites and pre-set word filters.
10) Set you kids goals to research online safety be themselves as them to write you a little report on what they think the dangers online might be. Fact Monster is an excellent reference site, packed with information and homework help. For Ireland you should check out the office for internet safety.
2016 has been named the year that the internet of things (iot) takes hold, with a reported 50 million plus devices sold worldwide to date with everything from smart fridges to smart plugs iot is here to stay. It must be noted however with all of this extra connectivity comes a juicy threat surface for cyber criminals to prey on. The main thing consumers need to remember that if you bough a devices that connects to the internet then you can be guaranteed that it needs to be secured. In this post I am going to outline a number of steps you can take to help protect yourself and your family from becoming victims of a cyber attack.
1) Keep your devices up to date
This goes for all devices that connect to the internet but I would especially recommend it for iot devices as new exploits are exposed manufactures may push down patches to solve the vulnerability and therefor you should regularly check to make sure your device is running the latest software.
2) Change the default password on your device
This is a very important step to take as the majority of iot devices are mass produced with a default login and not changing this on day one will leave yourself vulnerable to attack. May I suggest using a password that is at least 10 character long with special characters and capitals and numbers i.e don't use your last name and type 123 after it. 3) Be familiar with your devices privacy section
What kind of information are you saving or sharing through this device and what guarantees are put in place that this information is been protected. Don't assume just because the manufacturer says its a secure device to use that it is and make sure your information isn't been shared with third parties. 4) Be carefully buying a second hand device or selling your own device
Buying a second hand device on line may come pre-installed with malware or a backdoor only buy second hand devices from a reputable dealer. On the flip side think long and hard about selling your device, resetting a device may look like all your data has been cleared but with a little know how a lot of this information may be retrieved. There are a number of programs out there that ensure proper data erasure and this may be something you should look into first.
I have been asked a bit lately about securing android devices as I tend to focus on the apple side of things as I myself use the iPhone. There is a myth out there that android is inherently insecure and this really isn't true, android out of the box is pretty good its the user that make the device insecure. The real issue with android is anyone can make an app and upload it to their store they don't check first to see if you are a potential cyber criminal. I think from memory that at one stage in the past few years the top 5 apps in the android store were in fact trojan horses this might be wrong but I am pretty sure their is some truth their I need to go back and double check this. So to minimize the waffle you ask "what do I need to do to secure my android?" Well I have put together a number of steps that if followed will definitely help you get to a place where you can feel "secure".
1) Do not save all of your passwords in your device! I don't know why I need to say this but people naturally tend to save their passwords for easy access of whatever the reason on their devices. This is a very bad practice and you should avoid this, think of memorizing your passwords of a way to delaying Alzheimer's and not getting ripped off by cyber criminals.
2) Use your devices inbuilt security features, If you are running on Jelly Bean, you can have a screen lock and encryption enabled to further enhance your security. Use these features they will help you keep your device safe.
3) Androids allow you to lock your apps you should use this feature especially for apps that hold sensitive information. Their is a free app that you can download to enable this feature called App Lock.
4) If you are installing an app read what permissions the app want's!!! If you are downloading some recipe app it doesn't need access to your camera, microphone and contacts. This should be common sense but for some reason people download apps and click ok to everything.
5) Download a mobile security app, androids are very much open to virus's and malware in comparison to their i0S counterparts. An app I think is pretty good is avast!mobile security.
6) One of the most important things you can do to secure your android is secure your network. I know you wont listen but try to avoid using public networks. You can protect your information by using apps like Hideninja VPN so that your outgoing connection is always encrypted, making it harder for anyone to sabotage your data. If you suspect that your device is being attacked, WiFi Protector can help fend off these attackers. To further enhance your network security you can apply settings from SecDroid but note that this app is only for rooted phones.
Phishing (pronounced fishing) scams are among the most prevalent forms of cybercrime, targeting unsuspecting victims. Although phishing is widespread, it is possible to identify and prevent. Apart from ensuring you install security software, the best way to combat scams is to educate yourself to what these scams are and how to identify them. I found the below video from Meridian Banking that explains phishing very well, and even though its aimed at Meridian customers you should get the idea.
Now that you have an idea of what phishing is and what forms it can take lets go through some addition steps you can take to protect yourself.
1) Be wary of emails asking for confidential information - especially information of a financial nature. Legitimate organisations never look for this information over email or the phone, if you get such a call or an email you should contact that organisation independently using know contact information from previous correspondence such as a statement or contract.
2) Make sure you when signing up to a new website's that you read there privacy policy. The majority of commercial websites have a privacy policy, which is usually accessible at the foot of the page. In this policy look for the website's policy on whether it will or will not sell its mailing list. If the site in question does sell its mailing list see do they have a policy that allows you to sign up and opt out of this feature if not you might want to consider do you really need to join the site in question. The majority of spam and potentially dangerous phishing emails you receive come from sites you have signed up to that have sold your mailing information to another company or companies.
3) Make sure you maintain effective software to combat phishing. Most Internet Security suites automatically detect and block fake websites. Some will also authenticate major banking and shopping sites. I have also stated in another blog how you can add security plugins to your browser that will help identify dodgy sites and links.
4) Never use links in an email to connect to a website unless you are absolutely sure they are authentic. It is very easy to add a fake link or hyperlink text that will bring you to a fake site or similar looking website. To avoid this open a new browsers and type in the url subtle differences could bring you to a fake site (eg) ww.aib.ie is the AIB banking site what if the link you received was www.aibbank.ie would you know the difference?
5) Never submit confidential information via forms embedded within email messages. This is not a secure practice and all reputable companies know this. If the form is part of a phishing attack the senders are often able to track all information entered.
6) Think twice about opening attachments from senders you are not familiar with eg. getting an email off an unknown address with an attachment labelled as "invoice". If you are not expecting an invoice and you don't recognize the sender chances are the attachment is carrying a malicious payload delete it!
7) I will end with my pet hate, clicking articles on social media that are clearly made up just so you will click on them. eg BREAKING NEWS: Pamela Anderson shoots president Obama over views on healthcare! This is clearly a bullshit article don't click on it, you can be guaranteed you are entering a world of spam and malware.
I recently came across a bluebird care campaign surrounding cybercrime and the elderly. As part of that campaign they had an infograph that I think is a super informative and can be viewed by clicking here.
For parents the risks of the internet to your child can be over looked. Coming up to Christmas you may be tempted to buy the next great gadget for your child however with the Vtech cyber attack this week as one example, how safe is the data your children are inputting into these devices? I would always advise parents if they are giving their children access to tablets and smart phones at a young age they should always consider a number of factors.
1) Don't put your child's personal data into any device when setting it up! Use your own details if you have to otherwise create throw away credentials to enter in any applications that don't require factual information.
2) Set boundaries! balance is key, create times of use around their devices avoid your children becoming addicted to their devices.
3) Educate your children to the dangers of the internet and the fact that everything they do online is there for life! Snapchat is a popular example to use and I suggest you give this article a quick read.
4) Put safe guards in place to monitor your child's online activity, this will give your child the device they want and you can have the piece of mind that they are not putting themselves at danger online.
5) Keep you kids off social media until they are an appropriate age, most sites don't allow children until they are 13 years of age but this can be easily overcome by entering a fake date of birth.
6) Make sure you need to enter a password to download apps and games don't leave your credit card information signed in on the device they use. This will allow you greater control over what applications they are using, it may also stop a nasty credit card bill from unseen app charges.
The internet is a great place but the dangers it poses are very real, take a few minutes to watch the video below before disregarding this post.
Below are some tools for monitoring or limiting the amount of time your child's device is in use.
For Window's users:
When you create an account designated as a child’s account, you get the option to enable Family Safety settings. Family Safety allows you to monitor and /or time the usage from your child’s account, block certain applications or sites, and get weekly reports reviewing the activity on the account.
For Mac users:
Log on as Administrator on your child’s Mac, go to the Sharing preferences and choose Screen Sharing. Continue to “Allow Access For” and choose Administrators. When you are on your Mac, go to the Finder and choose Go: Network to see your child’s Mac. Click on Share Screen to see the activity.
For Smartphones:
Backing up your child's phone’s content to your own PC or Mac is a good way of keeping tabs on things. This will allow you to see which apps are being used on the phone, and you’ll be able to see what calls and text messages your child is making. Be sure to activate the basic security features, as well as any further limitations on usage you want, I have already done a blog on securing iPhone's.
There are also many products on the market that will allow you to use GPS tracking and more in-depth monitoring of all your kids devices. One free option that allows some of this functionality is Norton Family Online. The free version lets you monitor every site your kids visit, examine a list of everything they search for, and track their activity across social media via any Internet connection. You can tell Norton to always allow (whitelist) or block (blacklist) certain sites, customize the settings for each child, and set time limits so you can boot them offline when it’s time for bed. A premier version lets you monitor their instant messages, video consumption and mobile devices. This is just one product that I am aware of but their are many similar software type packages out there.
I hope that you have found this post of some help and if you need advice on anything just pop a comment below and I will do my best to give you a constructive answer,
In light of the popularity of the Black Friday phenomenon having made a full transition online shoppers need to be more aware that ever of how they shop online. This is a day that cyber criminals will be in full flight waiting to grab shoppers credit card and login information using eCommerce sites that are vulnerable. This is a day that shoppers need to be extra vigilante when shopping online. Silcon Republic have posted a number of tips to help customers keep safe and the article can be found here.
The main points from that article can be found below.
1) Consumers should be careful not to expose their computer or mobile screen to the eyes of strangers, especially when a credit card number is visible.
2) Online shoppers need to keep their computer updated with the latest malware protection. Even if a consumer conducts all transactions on a secure site, it is possible for the computer to be hacked or to be running malware, which means all data entered can still be stolen.
3) Be aware of internet connections. Using a public Wi-Fi service without encryption gives anyone the ability to hack into the connection and collect a user’s information.
4) Pay close attention to shopping websites. Many websites do not properly protect the data they collect. Shoppers can know the site is safe if it has a green lock in the address bar, which signifies the company has met strict standards with respect to protecting data they collect from customers.
5) Finally, shoppers should frequently monitor bank statements for suspicious transactions. Many times, cyber theft is done in small amounts in order not to draw suspicion.
If you need help in making your devices even more secure you should have a read of some of my posts on securing your laptop and iphone. All of my posts can be found on my blog.
