Stay Safe Online Blog

The wrapping paper is crumpled in the corner, the boxes are open, and a shiny new PC or laptop is being booted up for the first time. Children—and adults too—are excited about the capacity of their new machine for connecting with family and friends, sharing pictures, organizing their lives, surfing the Web, blogging about their passions, or gaming. 

And excited they should be! Increasingly are lives are becoming digital and we count on the Internet^G and web-enabled services for more and more each day.

 However, by taking a few simple steps as you get started you can make your new PC as safe as is fun. 

• Activate Your Security Software Trial.  Most new computers come with anywhere from a 30-day to 90-day free trial that includes ant-virus^G, anti-spyware^G and other security features.  Activate your free trial and update your virus definitions as soon as you turn on your computer. Chances are updates have been released between the time of manufacture and purchase.  Don’t forget to purchase an annual subscription before the expiration date. 
• Power Up Your Firewall^G.  Your firewall is an electronic fence controlling access to your PC usually available through your security software or operating system. According to research by NCSA and Symantec, this is the largest gap in home user security. 
• Buy the Backup^G.  Ensure that you either have purchased a backup hard drive or purchased storage space from an online service that enables you to regularly backup all of your critical information, music, and photos. Learn more about back up.
• Have the Talk.  If you have just purchased a computer for a child, sit down with your child and discuss the need to keep personal information, just that. Teach them the three questions that should be on their mind anytime some asks for personal information: Who is asking? What kind of information are they asking for? Why do they need it? Also, discuss the reasons why clicking on every link can be dangerous.
• Be a rule maker. Make a set of family rules for using the computer include the times when the computer can be used, what kinds of uses are acceptable and post them by the computer, and consider the use of parental controls. 
• Location, location, location.  For children, ensure that the computer is located in a central area where you can monitor computer use.
• Learn more: Find out about ways to protect your computer, protect your children, and other ways to stay safe online at:

          www.staysafeonline.org.

         http://www.onguardonline.gov/ (the online safety site of the Federal Trade Commission)

         www.uscert.gov ( a website with tips for cyber security at the Department of Homeland Security)

The days are shorter and colder, and before we can even digest our Thanksgiving meal, the start of the holiday shopping season is upon us. These tough economic times make all of us bargain hunters, and what better place to hunt for bargains than the Internet. That’s exactly what millions of us will do. There’s even a new term in the shopping lexicon — Cyber Monday — the Monday after Thanksgiving, when online retailing usually puts in its biggest day of the year.

For the most part, online shopping is a safe, hassle free way to shop. However, there are some steps all of us should take to make the shopping season as secure, safe and successful as possible. 

·         Start with a tune up: Before we head out for that long holiday road trip, we usually take simple precautions such as checking tire pressure and oil levels. The same is true for online shopping. Take a few minutes to update your core protections—anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall—before you get on the information superhighway. Also make certain they are set to automatically update against new threats.

·         Shop secure sites: Is there a closed padlock on your browser’s status bar? Does the Web site address (URL) change to shttp or https when you are asked to provide payment information? If so, you know the vendor has secured their payment process.

·         Not all money is created equal: Credit cards are generally the safest option because shoppers can seek a credit from the issuer of the card if the item isn’t delivered or not what was ordered. Credit cards, unlike debit cards, also have monetary limits on the amount you will be responsible for if your information is stolen and used by a cyber or other criminal.

These are just a few of tips that can make your online holiday shopping secure, safe and fun. For more ways to be safe this holiday shopping season, see NCSA’s online shopping tips, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Trade Commission.

When it comes to cybersecurity, our nation’s students and teachers are flying blind and have not received the basic education needed to keep them safe online.  Today, the National Cyber Security Alliance released the 2008 National  Cyberethics, Cybersafety, Cybersecurity Baseline Study, conducted by Davina Pruitt-Mentle, Ph.D. of Educational Technology, Policy Research, and Outreach (ETPRO) on behalf of NCSA^G.

The study revealed that less than 25 percent of educators felt comfortable teaching students how to protect themselves from cyber predators, cyber bullies and identity theft.

Moreover, when children age 10-14 are spending more time on the Internet^G than watching television and thousands will receive brand new computers this holiday season, the study found that only a handful of states have education curriculum requirements that includes information on how students can protect themselves online.   Shockingly, 90 percent of educators have received less than six hours of professional development on cyber security in the past year.

Why study what schools are teaching to children about cyber crime and cyber security?

The answer is simple.  We now live in the digital era and young people today will be the first to grow up with the Internet as an integral part of their lives. If we are going to so openly allow technology into our lives, we need to be sure that we are doing everything possible to teach children how to be safe and secure online. The bar should be set high with the goal of teaching cyber security, cyber ethics, and cyber safety until it becomes second nature – just like looking both ways before crossing the street or buckling seat belts in a car.

The goal of the study was to look at how cyber safety, cyber security and cyber ethics issues are being addressed through the school systems. What topics are making their way into the classroom, who’s teaching them and what tools are they using? How much time is devoted to these topics? Do teachers feel prepared to educate students about these issues?  All teachers must understand how cyber security and safety fits within their classroom and their educational mission.

Other key findings include:

• Only 8% of educators said their school included cyber security, cyber safety and cyber ethics topics as part of the state curriculum, health/safety curriculum or one-day assemblies.
• Less than 5 % of educators said protecting, identifying and responding to identity theft, predators, bullying and other crimes is included in the state curriculum.

While we don’t want to overburden schools with one more thing to teach, when it comes to cyber security, schools are a natural partner. The need for schools to get involved stems in part because they have embraced the digital age through increasingly connected classrooms, Websites, listservs and other online tools that are used for educational purposes and communication. As with any other classroom tool that poses potential risk (from scissors to Bunsen burners), the first lessons should be about safety, and there should be a high level of confidence that students understand and have incorporated safe practices.

If you want to be alerted about NCSA, press releases sign up for an automated email or RSS feed in our media room.

October was National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NSCAM), and this year, like years past was a great success. NCSA^G along with its primary partners—DHS and MS-ISAC—conducted concentrated and focused efforts to get the word out about cyber security in October. This year, my first NSCAM as executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, we approached the issues on several fronts. Our core audiences—home users, k-12, higher education, and small businesses—were all targets of our Cyber Security messages around using the right tools and focusing on behavior that protects personal information. Through substantial media efforts, new lesson plans, presentations and events, NCSA’s goal is to make cyber security second nature.

Our efforts don’t cease now that October is over. Cyber security is a year round effort. Everyone needs to be diligent about protecting the computers they use from attacks.  In the coming weeks and months, the National Cyber Security Alliance will release new information on a variety of topics related to our core audiences and cyber security. We’re working on new materials and tool kits to assist anyone who is interested in creating a more secure internet^G for families, schools and business. We’re recruiting new sponsors and partners to make NCSAM 2009 even bigger and better.

The National Cyber Security Alliance doesn’t do this alone.  We count on many partners to make NSCAM a success. We thank all the schools, companies, government entities and individuals that helped us directly or sponsored awareness events, the 39 state Governors that issued proclamations endorsing the month, and the United States Senate for passing a resolution.

If you are interested in being part of our ongoing efforts, have ideas about NSCAM in 2009, or want to sponsors activities, events or materials, contact us at info@staysafeonline.org.

Thanks again to everyone and every organization that made NSCAM 2008 a success!

Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, NCSA

Criminals are opportunistic and prey on people’s vulnerabilities. In tumultuous times, like the economic storm we are living through, criminals seek and seize new opportunities that are directly related to people’s anxiety and tied to the current events of the day.

Phishing^G, the collection of personal information for criminal purposes by posing as a legitimate business, is no exception. The most common from of phishing is the fake email that looks exactly like an email you might get from your financial institution or other business.  They often seek immediate action to rectify a problem with your account and request you click through a link to fix it. The link is to a fake, or spoofed, website that looks like the real thing. When a logon name, password^G and any other information is entered, the cyber criminal has collected what they need to hijack an account.

True to form, cyber criminals engaged in phishing, were quick to tailor their scam approaches. Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one of the leading government agencies fighting phishing, issued an alert^G about phishing email that used the rapid consolidation of the banking industry and confusion about the mortgage market to try and snag unknowing consumers. Read the FTC’s alert about the new scams.

While you are at it, check out the FTC’s On Guard Online, a great site to learn about tips to prevent fraud and protect your computer^G. There are many great features including videos and games.

Another new website with great information about phishing and protecting yourself was launched by Consumer Reports at the beginning of National Cyber Security Month.  Check out Consumer Reports’ Guide to Online Security.

Take the time to get educated about phishing and other ways to protect yourself online.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

Each October, NCSA^G joins with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), along with corporations, government agencies, nonprofits and the academic sector, to support National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This month-long series of programs is aimed at ensuring that home users, small businesses, educators, students and all Americans fully understand the importance and the urgency of safeguarding themselves while online.

Every day, cyber criminals employ social engineering tactics and evolving technologies to do harm via the Internet^G. Without even knowing it, some consumers and businesses are helping criminals carry out cyber attacks and online scams against other organizations and individuals. In a world that will only continue to become more connected and dependent on the Internet, we are working together to create a culture of cyber security and safety by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to help prevent cyber crime and cyber attacks.

We encourage everyone to take advantage of the materials, tools and information on our website and watch this blog for timely tips and information so that you can learn how to "Protect Yourself Before You Connect Yourself."