Tag Archives: malware

General Safety Issues

HOW TO PARENT SAFELY IN THE DIGITAL WORLD (GUEST POST)

Parenting in the digital world is not an easy task. A recent survey in UK, shows that among 7-16 years old, seventy-five per cent of them use the internet. Children are giving more and more importance to this new media for multiple purposes such as for information, entertainment, relieving tension, communication (chat, email, instant messages) and most preferably for downloading contents. For many families, internet is a fragile medium, confusing and easier to gets wrong then right.

No doubt, Internet is a source of learning but it is also a place where cyber-stalkers are lurking for the target person. Parents give mobile phones to their children to remain in contact with them when they go outside either for their school or for some other activities.  Internet is full with lots of software, games, music videos and adult content that encourage children for downloading. As children are not good in downloading and using the internet, they may  become an easy target of cyber attackers.

That’s not only one problem that parents have to face regarding their children safety, sometimes games and video downloading shake your budget estimate with huge bills. These expensive apps have more attraction and adventure for kids. Pornographic videos are such a content that disturbs children behavior and attitude towards real world in a very bad way. It not only disturbs their health but also affects their norms and values.

If you have views that all Smartphone apps are wrong then you are thinking in the wrong direction. Many Smartphone apps are useful for kids and they make things easier for them. Many apps purely based on enjoyment and those apps create a real fun in people’s life. As it is already mentioned that not all apps are suitable for children so parents have to understand this concept for their children safety and security. 

One thing about internet which makes parents more suspicious about their children is the open availability of pornographic videos. As parents do not remain close to their children all the time in a day,  it’s very difficult for concerned parents to prevent their kids from undesirable  material.

Games always attract children due to their adventurous characteristics. Children love to play games as they give them new ideas and imagination. Many children instantly download a game when their latest version release onto their mobile phone. Although many games can be downloaded free of cost from Smartphone apps, it doesn’t happen all the time. There are some games for which you have to pay a handsome amount before downloading.

As technology advances the mobile industry, similar  technology makes advancement in games and now games are becoming more adventurous and realistic. There are also some games which contain violence, bad language and sexual content. Malware and viruses are another danger because these malwares can damage your child’s phone permanently.

Another danger in downloading different mobile apps is malware and viruses. The problem is that these apps are advertised free of cost and if you download them, these apps damage your mobile phone with malware.

You can easily prevent your child from having access to such sites with the help of the mobile tracking app like this available here http://www.mspy.fr/. Once you install cell phone spy, it will give you access to all data relating to your child’s cell phone usage and remains unnoticed by your child. In addition to this, you can block sites and downloading via this app.

Sent to us by Jessi Singh

Thanks, Jessi, for this information on keeping our children safe while using their computers, tablets, etc.  Another thing to mention is cyberbullying, which causes some young people to be driven to suicide.  This is an all-too common occurance, and parents must step in and be in control. pb

General Safety Issues

WEARING YOUR INTERNET SEATBELT: HOW TO SURF SAFE IN THE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

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Safety has occupied a continually increasing spot in the almost all aspects of our lives. We now have cars with a dozen air bags and sensors on all sides that indicate when an accident is imminent. It’s become so important to us in our driving lives, but why not in our digital lives? Why don’t more people nowadays know how to keep their computer and identity safe on the internet? 

The Internet Is a Dangerous Place 

Most internet surfers have no idea what potential dangers await them in the depths of the online world. It’s a large expanse full of all types of menacing creatures: spammers, hackers, and identity thieves. Being caught off guard online can cause you some serious harm. The least of your worries is that a virus or adware infects your system, but the greatest threats come from spyware.

 If spyware makes it onto your computer, it could easily scrape your credit card numbers from web forms that you fill out. After this, your card’s information will be sold on a black market chatroom. Once it’s in the hands of your new friend, they will try to rack up as much of a bill on it as they can before you or your bank notices. In even more extreme cases, hackers can use spyware to steal your identity and open new lines of credit in your name. While malware can ruin your computer system, spyware has the potential to cost you much more. Many lives have been ruined by it. 

Safe Technology You Must Have 

You need to have a firewall, and it needs to be enabled. Most users already have one, but sometimes, they disable it in order to allow certain programs to function. Don’t ever do this. Instead, go into your firewall settings and give a program special approval to bypass the firewall. Always keep your firewall active. 

You must have a good antivirus program as well. This will regularly scan your computer for trojans, viruses, and other kinds of malware and spyware. It’s an incredibly important tool in the war on the dangers of the digital world, and you don’t have to spend big bucks for it either. Many people are surprised to learn that there are several free antiviruses available. Don’t let their lack of a price tag discourage you. They are robust, and if you can’t afford a more premium version, one of those free programs will be more than enough for you. 

Safe Practices To Follow 

Some of the best practices for internet safety should come as common sense. If anyone emails you claiming to be the prince of Nigeria and asking for any kind of financial transaction, send it straight to the trash bin. This might seem so obvious that it doesn’t even merit mentioning, but there’s a reason these spammers continue to do this. It’s because it, surprisingly, works on some people. Sometimes scammers are a bit more clever though. They might try to disguise themselves as a bank or other official institution. Always be careful about giving out your information through email, even you are corresponding with what seems like a legitimate organization. 

You always have to exercise extreme caution with the sites you visit, especially when you’re at work. Don’t give your information to any site that you don’t trust, but beware of phishing as well. That’s when an illegitimate site is disguised as an official one. This is often used with social networking sites like Facebook in an effort to get your profile’s password and spam your friends with advertising links. 

The digital world is full of dangers, and most of its citizens don’t even know it. Their computer can be ruined as a result, or their identity and money could be stolen. At any given moment, you are only a few clicks away from the digital equivalent of being in a dark alley surrounded by thugs. Take the proper precautions and follow best practices. Don’t be the next victim to fall prey to armchair hackers and internet thieves. 

Author bio

This is a guest post by Marianne Ross, a freelance writer mostly blogging about tech&gadgets. Marianne is currently working on behalf of 1&1 Internet, complex tech company where you can find more information about how to make a website safely on your own.