Family Circle Chats with Renee Chronister of Parameter Security; Talk Online Safety

Source: Family Circle Magazine
October 17, 2010 Edition; Page 92
Link to Article

Excerpt from Family Circle Magazine

Safety First:
Your kids will click on anything, and the word "free" is awfully tempting. To protect your computer from viruses, tell kids not to open e-mails from people they don't know, and supervise them when they're surfing. "It's like keeping an eye on your children when they're playing outside," says Renee Chronister, owner of Parameter Security, a firm that helps companies test their network safety. In addition to putting the computer in a common area, teach your kids not to click on ads or strange websites. And since most blocking applications are geared toward porn and profanity, your best defense is good security software.

Additional Information from Interview

FC: What's the actual danger if you end up on a harmful site while surfing online?

RC: Depending on what type of content is on the site you or your children could be exposed to inappropriate things. Some sites that look legit can be spoofed by hackers so look closely at the URL and notice if the link is misspelled or altered. If you are unsure of a site, don’t visit it. Better safe than sorry.

FC: If you just visit a website but don't click on anything, what kind of danger are you in?

RC: Well it depends on how the site is set-up. There can be malicious scripts/programs that run when you land on the page which causes your system to execute the code. This is usually known as cross-site scripting. The impact can range from a petty nuisance to a significant security risk.

FC: Does good anti-virus software protect against some or all of that danger?

RC: Anti-virus, generally speaking, is a good step towards protecting your computer provided you keep it up-to-date. But it is not 100%. Adding spyware in addition can help mitigate risk. Make sure you have spam filters on your email as well to help block inappropriate emails. But remember, you can never 100% secure. The idea is to make it more difficult to be hacked.

FC: What kind of steps should parents take to prevent their kids from ending up on dangerous websites when looking for freebies, free samples or just surfing?

RC: Make sure web surfing is supervised by placing the computer in a common area like the family room. This way, they will be less tempted to access questionable or racy sites and you can oversee Internet surfing. Also, don’t open any emails from people you don’t know. Question anything that looks suspicious. Common sense really is the key and you may have to teach your children what that means.

Keep an eye on your children as if they were outside playing. Walk by and see what they are viewing and do not permit file sharing on peer-to-peer websites as a lot of downloads have Trojans and spyware embedded in the files. Because Facebook has become a favorite past time like other social media sites, watch what you and your kids put out there. Don’t give out too much personal information or friend people online you don’t know well. Be aware of the pictures you and your FB friends are posting. Also, be leery of the free ads on Facebook as some of them contain malware which will run on your computer if you click them.

Final thought: Set-up Internet rules with your kids to follow. Question everything. Verify the legitimacy of sites, emails, etc. if you can and if not, don’t click. Better safe than sorry.