Covid-19: Make cyber security part of everyday life
There are risks as online learning becomes more prevalent and children become more active online.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put school in the bedroom, study, kitchen, backyard and lounge.
Parents and learners are figuring out how to juggle home working and full-time schooling from within the confines of the home and, let’s face it, it’s hard.
Schedules clash, internets crash, time is in short supply and the learning curve is steep.
Also read: Schools pushed to contingency plans
But, there’s more.
There are risks as online learning becomes more prevalent and children become more active online.
Cyber bulling, hacking, phishing, and credential theft, these are all risks that come hand in hand with any login, virtual conference or platform.
This does not have to be another thing to worry about.
“While it is incredibly important to be aware of the threats and to have systems in place to protect your children and your online life, it isn’t rocket science,” said Anna Collard, CEO of Popcorn Training.
“A secure and safe online life can be established following basic steps and by being aware of the dangers.”
Follow these steps to transform yourself and your children into online security guards.
Also read: Covid-19: World Health Organisation on reopening of schools (Part 1)
Educate yourself:
Did you know that you can hover over a link to see if it’s legitimate?
Sometimes cybercriminals will send you fake links to well-known virtual conferencing platforms that ask you to sign in.
This is a form of phishing that results in stolen credentials that can be used to hack into your accounts, especially if you use the same password for multiple sites.
“Malware, stealing logins, information harvesting or extorting money are all genuine cyber risks,” said Collard.
“Teach your children about these risks and help them to understand how they work.
“The amount of information you share will depend on the age of your child, but it’s important that they understand the basics.”
Also read: Covid-19 Lockdown: 7 tips for parents to help them assist their children with schoolwork
Get digitally savvy:
Look after your digital identity.
Your password is the last, great defence between your information and the cybercriminal.
Do you really want to risk your money, information, child’s information and identity by using the password ‘12345’? Lots of people do.
Use a really good password that consists of up to 12 letters by using a phrase or a line of a song and then don’t use it across multiple accounts.
One password per account.
To make this easier, invest in a reliable password manager that will help you create and manage your logins.
Then you only have to memorise one really strong password, and the password manager takes care of all your other ones.
Use multi-factor authentication:
This is combining your password with something that you own, such as a one-time password app on your phone.
Most sites such as Gmail, Facebook and Instagram support this.
You may think that younger children won’t really understand this, but children are remarkably resilient and capable.
If you can instil strong security skills into your children at a young age, you’ll have set them up for a secure life.
Show them how multi-factor authentication works, use it yourself and apply it wherever you can.
Set up parental controls:
Parental controls on home devices like your computers, mobile phones and tablets, as well as gaming consoles help parents protect children from inappropriate content, such as pornography or other adult content.
Parental controls can also be set on Google, YouTube and enforced via dedicated apps that allow parents to monitor activity, ensure children access only age-appropriate content and set usage times.
Create a family online contract:
It’s hard for children to sometimes share things that have happened to them online.
It’s equally difficult for parents to keep track of everything their children are doing online.
To combat this, create a digital contract that allows for you to build trust and openly share concerns.
This contract could include information like:
- Never meet anyone you met online in real life without parental permission.
- Don’t share anything online that you wouldn’t share with your gran.
- Talk about anything that happens that makes you feel uncomfortable, you’re safe.
- The dos and don’ts of online security and etiquette.
- The signs of cyberbullying.
- The rules of online behaviour
- No-go zones (dark web, torrent sites etc).
- The risks of navigating cyberspace and how to protect against them.
“Parents are guardians of children’s safety and it’s hard to be eternally vigilant online,” said Collard.
“If you work together to create and stick to a digital contract, then you’re building trust and a safety net for one another.
“Let children choose the rules too, they often know things parents don’t, and make cybersecurity a part of your everyday life.”
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
