Category: Internet Security

Picture this! The latest online game for kids has just come out, and all of your child’s friends are asking them to get it. After they download it, the computer starts running slower than molasses—you suspect that you have a virus. How can you keep your computer virus-free when your kids play online games?

These days, more children engage in the online world than ever before. Unfortunately, this puts your computer at an increased risk of getting a virus. You want your children to enjoy online social activities, but you don’t want them to slow down the computer in the process!

Try these tips to keep your desktop computer virus-free:

Educate Your Child

How can your child avoid viruses if they don’t fully understand what they are? If your kid enjoys playing games online, try to sit them down and talk about how to play safely.

Depending on what games they like to play, certain ones may request permission to access your computer. This is often the case with online games, which may need to bypass your firewall. Let your child know that whenever these messages appear on the screen, it’s best to tell a parent first.

Some ads are targeted directly at children, promising them free in-game rewards. Just by visiting a website, malicious software can automatically download onto the computer. Your child may not even realize that they’ve just picked up a virus! Be sure to caution them about these misleading ads.

Teaching your child about viruses can only go so far. They may be able to spot obvious security threats, but many hackers go to great lengths to disguise malware. You’ll need to go the extra mile to keep your computer clean.

Monitor What They’re Doing Online

Your kids may not realize that the websites, games, and online platforms that they interact with can be dangerous.

People online can be incredibly persuasive, and may convince your child that clicking a link or downloading a file is perfectly safe—even if you’ve told them otherwise! Therefore, it’s important to monitor their activities regularly.

You can install various parental monitoring applications that allow you to survey what your child is doing online. This will ensure that they aren’t visiting websites that may damage the computer.

Boost Your Computer’s Defenses

You may have parental control applications on the computer, but most of these programs offer no protection against malware or viruses.

Did you know that up to 32% of computers around the world are infected with viruses? It’s a pretty shocking number! That means there’s almost a 1 in 3 chance that your computer has a virus. You need reliable anti-spyware and antivirus software to keep your desktop safe.

However, be wary of some free antivirus software—it may actually contain other viruses! Do your research when it comes to protective software.

Watch Out for Emails!

Almost everyone has an email address these days, even children. It’s an easy way for kids to connect with friends, get updates from their school, and keep up with new game releases.

Unfortunately, emails are also the most common way that viruses infect computers. This happens in various ways. Sometimes, the malicious person sends emails that appear to come from a close friend. The message might include a (.doc) or (.exe) file that contains a virus. Let your child know that if they receive an email from an unknown sender, they should not open it—instead, they should send it straight to the trash bin!

Make a Secure Password

The passwords that are the easiest to remember are often the least secure. If a hacker is targeting children’s accounts, they’ll start by trying all the most common passwords. You’ll need to get creative to boost your account security—rather than simple phrases, stick to complex strings of numbers and characters.

It can be easy to forget things when you’re a kid! Instead of trying to memorize a complicated password, have your child write it down on a piece of paper and place it next to the computer.

Be Proactive

Even if things are running smoothly, you never know when the next virus will cause a technology breakdown. You can install software that consistently monitors and scans your computer for viruses.

Try to notice when your computer is running slowly. If your kid uses the computer the most, let them know that they can always tell you if something is suspicious. Once you identify the virus, you can ask them where it might have come from. Working through the process with your child can teach them to avoid malicious websites.

The sooner you get rid of a virus, the better! Protect your computer against spyware, malware, and viruses by monitoring its performance.

Limit Their Screen Time

One of the best ways to avoid a virus is by spending less time on the computer. But you don’t need to eliminate their screen time entirely! Instead, work on cutting it down by a few minutes each day.

If you want to reduce screen time for families, it takes planning. Suddenly springing it on your child may result in a tantrum. Instead, aim to start the day by telling your kid that they will have a time limit today.

Next, plan fun activities to show your child that they can have fun without a computer! Plan things like puzzles, baking cookies, or going for a walk. The less time that your kid spends playing online games, the less likely it is that you’ll get a virus!

Children love all that computer games have to offer them, from social interaction with their friends to a break from schoolwork. Unfortunately, playing online carries a risk: viruses.

If you’ve dealt with a computer virus before, then you know how inconvenient, time-consuming, and unsettling they can be. Try these above tips to keep your computer virus-free and functional for the whole family.

You do not have very go far these days to access free public Wi-Fi. It is available in airports, libraries, cafes, hotels and government buildings. This is helpful but it is important for both adults and kids to make sure they do not trade safety and security for convenience. Just because the public building you are in is reputable, does not mean the Wi-Fi connection is secure.

When using your smart phone or computer in a public hotspot, you need to be careful to ensure the Wi-Fi network is encrypted. Otherwise, it opens you up to the risk of having your online accounts hacked. This could result in cyber thieves stealing your personal information.

Here are two basic safety tips to keep in mind to protect your information.  And then we will explore additional ways to stay safe while online in public.

1.  Check if the Public Wi-Fi Network is Secure

As mentioned, we are not worried about the people who control the Wi-Fi network.  The risk is when others around us are in the business of hacking into the personal accounts using the network. safety-tips-that-both-adults-and-kids-need-to-know-while-using-public-wifi/ It could be the person sitting across from you in a coffee shop, or just outside on the street. 

If the public Wi-Fi network does not ask you to enter in a WPA or WPA2 password, the network is not secure. As you are probably thinking, this is most places.  The most common public Wi-Fi networks that require a password are internet providers with home you have an account.

2.  Ensure the website you are on shows https 

An example of this is https://youraccount.com or https://yourbank.com.  Secure websites will encrypt your information as you use the site.  Unsecured sites do not have the “s” in them, such as http:// (your information is not encrypted and kept safe if you don’t see the “s”)

Unsecured websites will also show a padlock that is unlocked.  Here is an example of what a secured website looks like.  Notice how with website URL with https also has a closed lock.

Clicking the lock will reveal more information about the secure site.  Now you can be sure you are on a secured website.

On a mobile website, it will look like this.

If you are using a site that is not secure and locked, you open yourself up to hackers that can access your personal accounts and steal your data.  This could mean your name, address, phone number, address book and photos.

Hackers need to see you on a public WiFi to be able to monitor your activity, so one sure fire way to to prevent this (regardless of being on an unsecured network) is to encrypt your data by using a VPN. It can be turned on when you wish, such as when you are in public or traveling.

Here are more ways to protect your personal information when using public Wi-Fi.

• It is good idea to have different passwords for each of your online accounts. This way if a cyber thief gets a hold of your email and password on one of your accounts, they will be unable to log into other accounts using the same password.
• Educate yourself on the various ways cyber attacks happen even when you are in the safety of your own home network, such as Phishing, Vishing and SMishing. Hacking through public WiFi is less common than these other methods used.
• Do not email important information about yourself for any reason.  This includes credit card details, bank account information and your personal government ID number. You should never do this even if a network is secure, not even from home.
• When accessing accounts in public, whether it is your own computer or a PC in a library, always log out when finished.
• Take advantage of 2 step verification methods being offered within your personal accounts.  This will add further security because 2 step verification means you cannot log in until you enter a secret code that is sent to you by text or via the Google Authenticator App.

If you are in doubt about the security using any public Wi-Fi network or website, it is best to restrict your activity online to general use, such as searching Google while you are not logged into your Google account.

Do not log into any personal accounts and if you find it necessary to do so, disconnect from Wi-Fi and use your personal cell data.  Even then, it is always important to ensure the websites on your account pages start with https in the URL.  Most major accounts websites are secure, but if you do not see https something may be wrong.

If you are in doubt about the security using any public Wi-Fi network or website, it’s best to restrict your activity online to general use, such as searching Google while you are not logged into your Google account.

Don’t log into any other personal accounts and if you find it necessary to do so, disconnect from Wi-Fi and use your personal cell data.  Even then, it’s always important to ensure the websites on your account pages start with https in the url.  Most major accounts websites are secure, but if you don’t see https something may be wrong.   

Additional Resources:

• Now that you’ve read about public WiFi safety, learn about WiFi security on your home network.
• Learn how to protecting your family from identity theft while traveling.

The internet has enabled a lot of things in today’s modern world. In the early 2000s, the internet changed how businesses advertise their products and services. Many businesses dumped the traditional offline techniques and adopted online advertising through the internet.

Later, they realized that they could not advertise to everybody out there. The need to advertise to relevant audiences gave rise to behavioral tracking. By that we mean, businesses track your online movements and decide whether you’d be interested in what they do before sending ads your way.

This method relies on web cookies and not only tracks previously visited sites but the location, etc. But then, internet users in the mid-2000s discovered ways they’d stop this snooping. They’d disable cookies and use ad blockers, making it daunting for businesses.

But in a bid to keep up behavioral tracking, advertisers are now using new and much more sophisticated techniques. The latest trick that has made tracking possible is device or browsing fingerprinting.  This article will look more into what it is and how it can help companies and advertisers track you.

What is Browsing Fingerprinting?

Device or browsing fingerprinting is a technique initially designed to track internet users for security purposes. It involves browsers gathering individual information of internet users and availing it where needed. This information includes location, device type, screen resolution, language, etc.

Trackers do not need to collect your information at a go. It can take a few browsing attempts to match details and create a unique and accurate fingerprint for every user. Consequently, they can track your online activity and movements without a problem.

This technique has evolved a lot from the time it first got introduced. Recent developments have made cross-browser fingerprinting possible, consequently making tracking more effective. According to experts, this dynamic technique is capable of identifying internet users 99% of the time.

On the positive side, browsing fingerprinting has played an important role in shaping the digital environment. It has enabled analytics and tracking for website owners. You can now know the number of visitors visiting your site and how many visitors return to it.

Online safety that wasn’t a guarantee before fingerprinting is now almost one. For instance, it has played a great role in identifying and preventing credit card and bank fraud. E-commerce fraudsters also now have a headache to try and defeat the wall fingerprinting has built.

How they fingerprint you

Although trackers cannot match fingerprints with real identities, there’s so much they can do you’re your information. Businesses are hiring third-party companies to collect the information we mentioned earlier. Now, their work is to discreetly monitor your digital movements and keep bits of data about you.

The data brokers hired to collect your information create a general profile of you. They look at your interests, from the sites you visit, consider the language you use, your location, and age range to create a pseudo profile for you, and that most of the time turns out to be an accurate representation of you.

Fingerprinting, as mentioned earlier, got developed to foster online security. Website owners create digital fingerprints to prevent identity theft, credit card fraud, software piracy, etc. Thus, many businesses and websites that benefit from it will tell you that it isn’t all that bad.

However, online privacy has been a concern for years, and browsing fingerprinting interferes with it. Companies exploit the information received from data brokers, and that is a consistent privacy violation. Thus, many internet users would rather protect themselves using security tools than have someone collect such critical data without consent.

Browsing Fingerprinting – How to Fight Back

Internet users get faced with a dilemma whenever the browser fingerprinting topic comes up. Of course, people want to find ways to stop it like they do with traditional behavioral tracking. However, the downside is that browsing fingerprinting is naturally difficult to circumvent.

A more positive thing that has come about is that you can, to some extent, prevent browser fingerprinting. Some privacy-first browsers like Tor make every device look the same. That makes it difficult for bots to collect the information required to create a digital fingerprint.

Safari, a browser that belongs to Apple, is another difficult one to fingerprint. Apple has a smaller product line than many mobile devices and PC manufacturers, making most of its devices look similar. Consequently, you become immune to fingerprinting if you’re using an iPhone or Mac.

Firefox is another potential option for internet users looking to avoid fingerprinting. This browser has invested in aggressive default privacy protection features. Besides, there is a word that it is also advancing its protection features to block fingerprinting in the future completely.

You can also use an SSL proxy to fight back browsing fingerprinting. The best thing about using this proxy is that it enhances your online security and privacy at the same time. Besides, they help you remove ads that you do not like and aid in ad verification to reduce online fraud.

Although fighting back on new technology isn’t easy, it is best to give it a try. Technology itself has made it possible to fight back, thanks to the software developments and protection features being added to browsers.

Conclusion

The digital landscape is increasingly becoming complex every day. Consumers are becoming careful about what they have to do to browse securely and privately. Conversely, marketers and advertisers are hungry for customer information as they look to up their marketing game and reach business goals.

New tracking techniques like browsing fingerprinting are becoming popular since traditional reliance on cookies is no longer reliable. However, internet users are also becoming aware of new ways to curb fingerprinting. The use of protective browsers, proxies, and developing new privacy rules seems to work.

With browsing fingerprinting constantly changing with new advancements like cross-browser fingerprinting, you have to be smart enough to prevent it. One of the best things you can do is investing in reliable software, using protected browsers, or purchasing well-protected devices.

Additional Resources:

How to talk to kids about cybersecurity.
Can apps track your location?

Microsoft 365 accounts have come under increasing attacks by hackers. It seems like no organization is safe if reports are anything to go by. It seems like no organization is safe if reports are anything to go by.

Microsoft released a report that the level of threat sophistication is rising. It makes it harder for them to identify cybercriminals. Key areas of concern are the internet of things (IoT) devices. Other threats are ransomware, and credential harvesting. In 2019, the company blocked 13 billion suspicious and malicious emails.

Foreign governments are also playing dirty. They are working with hackers to monitor US treasury department emails. They also used software and Microsoft Office 365 to get access. Hacking is, without a doubt, a major concern for everyone. It is crucial to prevent such attacks.

Parents must also be extra watchful. You must take the necessary steps to keep kids safe while online.

We will show you everything you need to do to secure your Microsoft 365 account.

How to Secure a Microsoft Office 365 Account and Keep Your Kids Safe While Online

Microsoft Office 365 accounts are critical for most businesses. But, they have also become quite popular amongst hackers. Once the cyber criminals are in your system, they access services and applications. Such include the calendar, SharePoint file, email, and Onedrive.

It will compromise your online security and expose you to different threats. Hackers will use several methods to get excess. Such include:

• Phishing through the use of fake login pages. They will often ask you to change your account settings, including the password.
• Business email compromise where the hacker uses a genuine Office 365 account. You get an email asking for specific information or action. Be careful about opening links whose source you do not know. Be wary of emails that have a lot of urgencies, especially to send money.

How to Know When a Hacker Compromises Your Microsoft Office 365 Account

There are specific things that show that your Microsoft Office 365 account is not safe. Such include:

• An increase in email deletions due to the mailbox rules.
• Difficulty accessing account.
• Changes to your account that you did not allow.
• Suggestions for new actions including Mail forwarding or moving orders.
• Requests for password changes from location to do not know.
• Many login attempts.
• An increase in inbox activities that you are not taking.
• Changes to your profile, contact details, signatures, and credentials.

Steps To Take To Secure Your Microsoft Office 365 Account

If you are on the receiving end of hacking, it can be scary. There are steps you can take to restore safety on Microsoft 365. Remember online security starts with you. Watch the sites your children visit.

If possible, restrict access to some of the sites. Only use secured networks when you are online. Also, enable the firewall and install the necessary antivirus protection on your devices.

1.   Work Offline

When you always connect your computer to the internet, hackers have an easy way of finding access to you. The alternative is to work offline as much as you can. It is a good idea to consider if the kids use the computer a lot, especially for school work.

Install the desktop version of Office 365. It eliminates the need to depend on the cloud to access the applications. You still have access to your programs without needing internet connectivity.

2.   Use Microsoft Office for Chromebook

To increase security, consider installing Microsoft Office for Chromebook.  The Chromebook’s design focuses a lot on security features. It makes it safer than Linux, Android, iOS, and even windows.

Chromebook works by blocking any installation attempts. If there is a malicious virus in an email, it will not attack your system. Everything you do when using Chromebook is cloud-based.

It makes it harder for hackers to get access to your system. The developers are always rolling out updates. Verified boots, and sandboxing also help prevent infection. In the long-term, you save a lot. You do not need external malware or virus protection.

3.   Use Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication

A weak password can compromise your safety. Take the time to craft a strong password for your accounts. A combination of numbers, letters, and symbols is a good idea. Avoid the use of birthdays, anniversaries, and 1234 as passwords.

Enable the password expiration so that you only use the password for several days.

Multi-factor authentication requires the use of an extra password to access the account. It uses information that only you would know. It may ask questions like who was your first teacher. What was the first object that you ever bought for yourself? Who is your favorite author? The answer you give becomes your second password.

4.   Configure Your Office 365 Accounts

Be careful about how you use the administrative account. Do not give access to everyone and assign privileges. You should not use the admin account for administrative use.

Before you access the admin account, make sure you close all other browser sessions. Do the same for any email accounts that are currently running. Once you finish using the admin account, make sure you log out completely.

Do not let anyone else get access to your emails or calendars. Avoid Mail forwarding to external domains. Remove global mail forwarding that the attacker may have created.

Also, take advantage of the security measures that Microsoft Office has in place. The company is even using artificial intelligence to improve the Microsoft defender.

5.   Secure Mobile Devices

Take note of the mobile devices you use as well. Microsoft Intune is a mobile device management tool that helps you secure your data. You can use it on IOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. If you lose your device, you can wipe out the data remotely.

Final Thoughts

From our article, we have shown that hackers can breach Microsoft Office 365. The good news is that there are specific steps to prevent breaches. Come up with a strong password and take advantage of the multi-factor authentication.

Download the desktop version of Office 365 so that you do not depend on the cloud. The other option is to use Microsoft Office for Chromebook. You get to enjoy the security features of the latter.

It is important to keep the kids safe while online. Use some of the tips we have shared above and enjoy peace of mind knowing they are safe.

Educate yourself and your family on how to protect your computer at risk.

Learn how hackers can access your computer via a session hijacking attack.