Are fingerprints and heartbeat scanners the cybersecurity of the future?

This week, I’m eager to share with you some great blogging on cyberbullying, online account hacking, and the dangers of BYOD – and essential tips to prevent these problems. I’m also excited to share some really cool articles about the future of online security: biometrics! Real life just got a little bit closer to science fiction.

I’m still waiting on those flying cars, though.

Home Safety

1. Score one for the good guys: Nick Smith from a San Francisco ABC affiliate has the recent story of a how a local homeowner (and the police) used his home security cameras to catch a thief.
2. The U.S. government’s Food Safety blog wants you to know that the nutrition label is growing up: it just turned 20! The FDA also notes that nutrition label changes/updates are on the horizon.

Family & Child Safety

3. We talk a lot about cyberbullying here at Safe Sound Family, but here’s some great information we’ve never talked about: Tim of uKnowKids gives us an overview of the laws that govern online bullying.
4. While he’s on the subject, Tim also talks about the short- and long-term repercussions of cyberbulling – both for the victim and the aggressor. If your kids have been involved in online bullying, get them the help they need!
5. Finally, Tim winds down with some great info and suggestions on how teachers can help address and prevent cyberbullying.
6. Free Range mom Lenore Skenazy is one of my perennial favorite bloggers for level-headed parenting. This week, she talked about a study – yes, another study – that shows helicopter parenting might cause depression when kids reach adulthood. Something to chew on.
7. Does the cold of winter make you want to bake? (Or, at least, spend time snuggled in front of a warm stove?) Bryan of the Child Safety Blog gives us eight good tips on teaching your older kids to use knives safely.
8. It’s a difficult topic to discuss – or even to think about – but Blog4Safety brings us essential tips on how to protect yourself against predators in your home, on the street, and in your car.
9. KidSafe reminds us that social media use is on the rise, even for our very youngest population: most kids under 2 (!) have a social footprint.
10. If you spend any time traveling with elderly friends or family, you’ll be thankful for Blog4Safety’s review of the 7 most essential travel safety tips for seniors.
11. Heads up: new federal regulations are going into place for play yards (playpens).

Online Safety

12. If you have a Mac – and especially if you bought one so you’d be “invulnerable” to cybercrime – Gary from McAffee has news for you: Apple devices can be hacked…
13. … And they were, this week. Agam Shah from CSO News has the skinny on Apple’s malware attack.
14. uKnowKids hops into the mix again with a great post on how to keep digital parenting fun with five kid-friendly websites that teach online safety.
15. Taylor Armerding from the CSO blog  has a very interesting article on Google Play and one app developer who says Google shares too much of its customers’ personal information.
16. If you’re interested in President Obama’s new cyber security initiatives, you can’t miss this PBS interview with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
17. Hemanshu Nigam of the Huffington Post has a suggestion for Sesame Street that will grab the attention of any parent with young children: Elmo should teach online safety for kids.
18. We’re way past Halloween and the closest holiday is St. Patty’s Day (right?), but if you’re hankering for some real-life horror, check out Lianne Caetano’s insight into how cybercriminals can access your texting history, rob your bank account, and steal your identity.
19. Call me a geek, but this is cool: The Toronto Star reports that the next frontier in online security is our bodies. That’s right, we’re talking about using biometrics, like your unique heartbeat, as a sort of human barcode.
20. And speaking of, GMA News says that Google is looking into password-less online security. Still on the topic of biometrics, Google might consider using fingerprints or iris (eye) scans to log you on.
21. Did you read about the epic Twitter hack that went down this week? Funny – unless it’s you or your brand getting hacked. The Cyber Safety Lady has everything you need to know about stopping your Twitter account from being hacked.
22. Brian Krebs, of KrebsonSecurity, brings to light a Christmas Eve 2012 cyberattack on a California financial institution that netted $900,000 in stolen funds.

Work Safety

23. This week, the Work Safety Blog4Safety had two great posts: five rights you have (but may not know) when working near the water, and all about asbestos awareness training.
24. Yikes. Numaan Huq and Richard Wang of SophosLabs bring us the latest and sneakiest point-of-sale malware designed to steal your customers’ money. Don’t ever trust that your business is too small to be targeted.
25. I mentioned BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and work safety last week, but here we go again. We Live Security has some pros and cons of BYOD, and how to keep your workplace safe(r).