Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is a cybersecurity movement designed to teach kids using the internet necessary tools to safely surf the web. Like the most iconic phrase from spiderman’s Uncle, “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”. The internet has provides the world with the ability to have up to date information at our fingertips.

Let’s contribute and make it better. In order to stay safe using this information system, we should act responsible, respectful, and learn to think critically about the content that you might find online.

No matter how safe and secure you feel surfing the internet, there is always a lot of room for improvement. Why not use Safer Internet Day as an excuse to learn more about internet security or cybersecurity.

The Risks of the Internet

The risks of getting into trouble on the internet are high. This is especially risky if you are not careful. Not everyone is going to have problems, but here are some of the most common risks of the internet.

• Downloading questionable software can open the door to viruses, spyware, ransomware, and malware to your system.
• Email phishing is a type of email fraud designed to obtain your personal or financial information and possibly steal your identity.
• Not all websites are the same, questionable or fake shopping, banking, charity, dating, gaming, and gambling sites can put you in danger.

A Different Type of Risk: Cyberbullying

Not everybody uses the internet for a good cause. According to www.stopbullying.gov cyberbullying takes various forms. This is an online resource website that provides free information to educates parents and teachers about bullying. In simple words, cyberbullying is just bullying that takes place on the internet.

This form of bullying is usually presented throughout digital devices such as cell phones, computers, or tablets. It can also occur through Text messages, social media, forums, or gaming platforms or where people can view, participate or share content with the rest of the world. 

How Can You Prevent Cyberbullying?

• Being involved in your children’s lives – Consider participating in activities you can relate with your kids. It can be as simple as playing a game or researching something online as a family. Consequently, these interactive moments will allow you to share time with your children while teaching them good computer habits.
• Keep your computer in an open space – Installing your children’s computer in a high-traffic location allows you to easily monitor their computer activity.
• Setting rules for the web – Make sure your children know the risks and boundaries of their computer time. Teach them what, when and where they are allowed to be on the internet.

3 Tips to Help You Stay Safe on the Internet

Your online privacy depends on your ability to control the amount of personal information you provide and how we navigate the internet. Unfortunately, not everybody has the knowledge to stay safe in this great technological advancement that is the internet.

This leaves us vulnerable to identity theft and invasion of our privacy, both from legitimate and illegitimate sources. That is why on Safer Internet Day, I decided to give you some tips to help me mitigate the risks of the internet.

1. Maintain Your Private Information Safe

Today’s generation has become the digital generation. We spend most of our lives online and literally in the clouds. Your personal information is always traveling around the web. Consequently, learning to protect your private information can help you reduce the risks on the internet. First of all, don’t share your personal information with anybody you don’t know. Preferably, store your personal information in a secure offline location. (Apply encryption if possible).

2. Best Practices for Password Security

Here are some things you can do to secure your online accounts:

• Use unique passwords – Website get hacked all the time! Consequently, reusing your password will give a hacker a chance to enter your stolen passwords on different websites, putting in danger your private information.
• Use special characters – Don’t use commonly found passwords like “Password123”, “Monkey123” or “12345678”. Learn to make your password hard to crack. Using a mixture of numbers, letters, and special characters will help you make your password stronger.
• Use Two-factor authentication (2FA) – Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of defense beyond your password.

3. Keep Your Computer & Software Up To Date

Let me tell you a secret, Hackers love security flaws that many times may end up on software vulnerabilities. A software vulnerability is a security hole or weakness found in a software program or operating system. Hackers can take advantage of the weakness by writing code to target those vulnerabilities.

Software updates are important cybersecurity tools that help your system control those vulnerabilities. The sooner you update your system, the sooner you’ll secure your device. Enjoy the internet! Have fun but don’t forget to stay vigilant about the dangers that come with it.

The Bottom Line

Nowadays, the Internet has become an essential tool for most of our daily lives. We are constantly relying on the internet to communicate with family, friends, and our work. These fundamental online activities draw attackers into our lives. This is why you should take advantage of this Safer Internet Day to learn the basics of internet security.