Taking Responsibility for our Online Safety

Guest post from Simon Ellson.

I read an interesting article on the BBC technology pages about fighting phishing attacks.  In the article, a spokesperson from an online payment company points out that the most vulnerable part of the security chain is the human.

I agree with him.

Unless we decide to protect ourselves from online threats, no one else will do it for us.  Whether we choose to: use a strong password, safely scan QR codes, shop safely online or use up-to-date security software, the decision to do so is ours.

It is our responsibility to do the right thing, for our families and ourselves. We need to surf safely.

7 February is Safer Internet Day (SID), and the theme this year is about connecting generations to educate each other.  This year’s SID is encouraging families to work together to stay safe online, whatever age group they fall into. Whether it is technology savvy youngsters teaching older generations how to use new devices or parents advising their offspring how to stay safe online.

I would like to do my part in helping echo this important message and remind people that whatever age you are, however long you’ve been active online and whatever device you use to access the internet, you do so safely and with awareness around your actions.

February 2, 2012 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Security | Leave a Comment 

How to grab a bargain in the sales without the risks!

Guest post from Simon Ellson.

It’s that time of year again! The Boxing Day sales have begun and if you’re anything like me, then you’re probably sat back in your armchair, avoiding the queues and cold by finding the best bargains online. But just because you’re protected from the elements, doesn’t mean that you’re protected from cybercriminals.

This Boxing Day, cybercriminals will be looking for their own discounts. And our mission? We need to take steps to ensure that it’s not our possessions that they’re getting cheap!

So, here are my 5 tips for keeping your stuff safe this Boxing Day:

  1. Always remember that if it’s too good to be true, it usually is – We all love a bargain and cybercriminals know this as well. Don’t fall for the cheap price tag – as free or discounted goods could end up being really costly. So if you’ve found the latest hot designer shoes, but for a tenth of the price, regardless of how nice they may be for your office Christmas party, they’re probably not real. Cybercriminals are experts at creating websites and making them look identical to your favourite brand sites. I therefore recommend that you only shop at reputable online sites and avoid getting your credit card scammed.
  2. Beware of fake website links – Don’t try and save vital sales shopping time by clicking on links in an email which appear to take you to your favourite online store. Instead make sure you type the store’s address straight into your browser. This will help prevent you from becoming a victim of a phishing attack. Phishers use fake versions of voucher deals to get their victims to a fake version of your favourite shop’s website. Once you’re there they can steal your passwords, log-in details, credit card information, or even your whole identity.
  3. Be suspicious – Even big brands can become victims of cybercrime attacks. Use Norton’s free online tool called Norton Safe Web which identifies and warns you about dodgy sites before you click on them in search results.
  4. Protect your bank details – Always look out for the ‘padlock’ icon at the bottom of the browser frame when making a payment online. This symbol indicates that the website you are visiting uses encryption to protect you, so cybercriminals cannot capture your personal information. Never let a website ‘remember’ your credit card details, always retype them if you want to shop there again.
  5. Check your statements – Always check your credit card statements as often as possible to look out for unexpected transactions. Everyone splurges at Christmas and impulse buys in the sales. It is therefore important to keep an eye on your card transactions. This also lets you know who is using your card and allows you to spot problems before they become difficult to resolve. Also, credit card companies offer consumer protection and if you get in touch with them they will work with you to manage any disputed or unauthorised charges.

    December 26, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Identity theft, Security | Leave a Comment 

    Stay safe this Christmas…

    Guest post from Simon Ellson.

    With just a few days left until Christmas, the excitement of gift shopping is in full swing. But it’s not just our loved ones that have a Christmas wish list, criminals do too. For a criminal in the ‘real’ world this list will most probably consist of smart phones, tablets, laptops etc. But for cybercriminals, the ideal Christmas present is your hard earned cash.

    So, stay safe this Christmas by following Norton’s three simple steps:

    1. Be smart with your passwords – Use a complex password for each online account you have and update your passwords regularly. Strong passwords use a mixture of numbers, symbols, and letters in upper and lower case, such as “Ru1)oLp1-1”. It doesn’t need to be a real word – just something that you’ll remember. Don’t choose the obvious and be creative.
    2. Organise your online shopping – Set up an email account specifically to deal with online shopping. Provide as little information as possible to get the account set-up and don’t use it for anything else such as online banking, business correspondence or family matters. Plus, it will help keep the presents you bought a surprise from any prying eyes!
    3. Check that your antivirus software up-to-date? Cybercriminals are more sophisticated than ever before and they’ll jump on any social trend to spread malware and steal your personal details. Security software from a recognised name such as Norton is the best and safest option when it comes to stopping malicious software from installing on your PC.  Surf the Internet safely with up-to-date, comprehensive security software, such as Norton Internet Security 2012.

    December 21, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Security | Leave a Comment 

    Five tips for staying safe on social networks

    Guest Post from Deborah Preston, Norton Online Safety Advisor

    As social networking sites continue to receive criticism about their privacy settings, it struck me that it’s not just the social networks that should be responsible for our online safety and privacy, we should all be! As users of the site, we should all be aware of the security products and settings that we can use to protect what we post online and our to protect our identities.

    Away from the virtual world, we wouldn’t expect someone else to look after our purse, wallet, handbag or house keys. Why should we then expect others to do this for us online? Why is it that when it comes to the virtual world, we rely on, and believe that, others will protect our online persona better than we would?

    Throughout 2011, the popularity of social networking sites has increased. This is a trend that will continue in 2012. We therefore have a responsibility to ourselves and our families, of protecting our online lives and assets, like we do in our real world. Similarly, we need to ensure our children know how to protect themselves, just how we would in real life.

    My top five tips for keeping yourself and your children safe online and on social networking sites are:

    1. Openly talk to your kids about social networking sites. Ensure that your whole family is familiar with and understand the security settings that are available to them. Also remember to talk to them about any changes/updates that are made to a social network’s privacy settings.

    2. Limit the amount of personal information that you post on social networking sites. Don’t feel obliged to share your birth year as well as your birthday. A birthday should suffice as this hides your actual age and makes it more difficult for ID fraud. Yet you still receive ‘Happy Birthday’ messages! If you are using a location based social network, check your setting and make sure that it is only your family and friends that can see your activity.

    3. Be wary of third party applications and avoid applications that seem suspicious. Always modify your settings to limit the amount of information the applications can access and don’t forget to revisit security settings each time you add an application.

    4. Use strong passwords. When setting passwords use of mix of numbers, letter and symbols. Also, be creative and change your passwords regularly.

    5. Keep software, particularly your web browser, up-to-date and always use a reliable internet security product.

    December 12, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety | Leave a Comment 

    Possible threats to mobile users in 2012

    Guest post from Andrew Ford.

    This is quite an exciting week for my inaugural blog; Earlier this month, Norton by Symantec announced the availability of Norton Tablet Security and an update of Norton Mobile Security Followed by Get Safe Online Week which focused on threats to smart phones from rogue apps and malware .

    This got me thinking about what the biggest threats to mobile users in 2012 will be.  I had a chat with Orla Cox, one of my colleagues in the Symantec Security Response Centre in Dublin and this is what she had to say;

    Orla Cox;

    “We’ll likely to continue to see an increase in attacks via mobile platforms. In the past year we’ve seen 40 new families of mobile threats.  This number will continue to increase over the next year.  At the same time, however, PC threats will continue to be most dominant, vector numbers wise.  We continue to add detection for 60,000 new threats every week”

    I also asked Orla how she thought the  bad guys would be making their cash in 2012 and she pointed out that the increase in the use of mobile devices for financial transactions will continue to make them a more attractive target for criminals.  Using  smart phones or tablets to make payments means that users must store their credit card details on the phone, therefore we may see attackers creating malware that can steal that data. We may also see threats which follow the trend in Windows malware such as Rogue Antivirus software.

    I know myself that the open and ubiquitous platforms are the most attractive for attackers and for that reason Android will likely continue to be the more attractive platform to attach.  If we see an increase in popularity for Windows Mobile-Nokia devices, then these too may become attractive to attacker. Apple iPhones and iPads will also not be immune from threats due to the millions now being used across the world. Indeed using any mobile device in an open wifi environment leaves a user open to other people capturing the data they transmit across the airwaves.

    All this said, it remains more important than ever to be smart when using your smart phone and tablet.

    As a minimum users should lock their phone with a pin code (you would be surprised just how many people don’t use this simple function on their phone).  This is a simple function that can save users a lot of hassle if their phone falls into the wrong hands.  At the other end of the scale, users can install mobile security on their mobile device. Caution should also be used when connecting to wifi hotspots.

    Mobile devices are now mini computers and people keep their lives on them. How do you protect your device?

    November 23, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Identity theft, Mobile, Security, Technology | Leave a Comment 

    Keeping the Internet’s bogeymen out!

    Guest post from Simon Ellson.

    The Internet is full of tricks and treats. It provides us with endless entertainment and opportunities to connect with one another, but it does also put us and our family in potential risk, 24 hours a day.

    The recent Norton Cybercrime Report showed that online scams is amongst the top three types of cybercrime – even web-savvy adults fall for them! With little education, however, we can all learn methods to avoid such problems and stay safe.

    But what about the children? How do we ensure that our kids stay safe online, without us peering over the shoulders? The same answer – education!

    Whilst teaching kids to limit the information that they share with others and how to appropriately use security and privacy settings helps them to stay safe online, kids need to taught how to keep the door closed for the Internet’s bogeymen.

    And how do we do this? Similar to how we teach our children the rules of trick-or-treating e.g. staying on the pavement, crossing the street carefully, avoiding unwrapped or homemade treats and coming home before it’s too late. We can teach children the internet’s equivalents:

    1. Be careful about what they  click on – stick to well-known Internet sites and use search ratings tools like Norton Safe Web to avoid going to dangerous website

    2. Teach your child never to respond to spam and to delete unwanted messages – Marian Merritt, Norton’s internet safety advocate, mentioned in a recent blog post that some of the most common scams that trick children are pop-up ads that:

    • Promise you can easily win great prizes like a tablet or gaming system
    • Claim to detect viruses on your computer and offer to clean them
    • Offer to speed up your computer

    3.  Use security software on all computers as well as mobile phones and tablets.

    4. Set up unique and complex passwords and ensure that your children share them with you but no one else.

    5. Talk to your child about Internet scams, misleading advertising, spam Instant Message or social network friend requests, and other online tricks you know to avoid but they may not.

    October 28, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Identity theft, Norton Cybercrime Report, Security, Spam | Leave a Comment 

    Norton One

    Today we can announce plans to deliver a personalised service that will protect consumers across multiple devices, Norton One™.

    Norton One will give consumers the option to select a combination of solutions that work for them and take away the hassle and worry of securing and maintaining today’s connected household.

    Norton One will be the industry’s first membership-based offering spanning PC, Mac and mobile security solutions.

    Norton One will provide a different experience by providing a single membership that will protect each connected device an a household through one user interface.

    You will be able to choose the technologies and devices that you have and need to protect properly. New devices can also be seamlessly added to the membership and quickly protected against online threats. Licenses can then be moved between devices or removed if you’re no longer using a device.

    A diversified range of technologies and support will be offered, including security and performance with personalised services and premium support.

    Today’s Internet-enabled household relies on multiple devices to communicate, work, shop and play. All these devices need protection against online threats, but protection today needs to provide more than just basic security and must cover the distinct needs of all the household’s connected devices.

    Norton market research has found that consumers in the U.S. have an average of 4.5 devices in their household between desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and more.

    The future of consumer security involves protection across all devices and platforms. We continue to expand our business with our Norton Everywhere initiative, delivering multi-device security solutions that are focused on the individual and their information, wherever you go and regardless of the device you’re using.

    Norton One is expected to be available in the first half of 2012.

    September 13, 2011 | Filed Under Announcements, Customer service, Family Online Safety, Security | Leave a Comment 

    How private is ‘private’?

    Guest post from Simon Ellson.

    Imagine a world in which a hacker is not a stranger, but rather your neighbour. Now imagine that that neighbour has spent 18 hours a day on social media sites that you are present on, to work out your passwords and answers to secret question. And now imagine that the hacker has stolen over £35,000 from you.

    That is the reality of today’s world. The Telegraph this week reported a hacking story that is different from what we are accustomed to. It showed how hackers no longer need to use code to gain access to a program or account, but instead they can monitor your online activities and view your conversations to gather enough data that will help them gain entry into your account.

    For me, this story, once again, raises the question of how private the setting ‘private’ really is? You see, the story mentioned shows how an individual used the content of what his neighbours are sharing online, to work out passwords to online and offline banking accounts. It indicates how an innocent status update or comment can provide others with enough data to cause you harm and once again raises the issue of how it is important to consider what you are writing before you hit enter – it’s important to remember that there are a number of different people that will be reading what you write, and not to sound cynical, but not all of them will have your best interests at heart.

    And so, my top three tips for keeping yourself, your data and your possessions secure are:

    1. Ensure that the privacy settings on your accounts are up-to-date and only people that you want your data to be visible to can see what you have written.
    2. Use strong passwords, ones that others will not be able to guess. One of our security response guys has posted an interesting blog on passwords.
    3. Before hitting enter, invest a minute to review what you’ve written. Think about the information that you are sharing and what people can take from it. Also think about the connection between current and previous updates and how they can be manipulated if they are seen by the wrong pair of eyes!

    August 22, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety, Identity theft, Security | Leave a Comment 

    Family Online Safety

    The safety of kids using social networks continues to be a hot topic in the Internet Security industry. We’ve seen numerous accounts of unfortunate events that demonstrate how important it is for parents to understand their children’s online behaviour and keep an eye out for any worrying activity.

    Many parents are concerned about what their children are doing on the Internet but sometimes do not feel comfortable broaching the subject as they themselves do not feel particularly proficient online. The good news is that the tools to help parents and children stay safe online are improving and constantly evolving.

    At Norton we’ve created a free web service that we think is a must for today’s digital family. NortonOnlineFamily gives parents the tools to manage where your children go, how long they spend online, who they talk to, and what information they’re sharing with others.

    Best of all, it helps you open up a positive dialogue with your children about good online habits. The potential threats posed by the Internet should not be perceived as a barrier to consuming the educational and informative content that exists. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

    July 20, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety | Leave a Comment 

    Marian Merritt: A FOSI Retrospective

    Recently I attended the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)’s European conference in London. The primary theme was “Every European a Digital Citizen.”

    There were so many interesting discussions and issues raised, such as dealing with the known masses of underage kids in social networks, the challenges raised by growth of mobile web access, and concerns of privacy.

    The keynote was provided by the always challenging and effervescent Dr. Tanya Byron. During her brief remarks and later, during a panel discussion, Dr. Byron made it clear that she’s frustrated by school policies blocking the use of technology and allowance for kids’ mobile devices in the school environment.

    As Tia Fisher summarized in a microblogging post, “Give. kids. technology. In. Schools.”

    Currently most schools limit or block the use of cell phones and web access at school. When your children sit in the computer room or use their laptops at school, they are bound by school filters and blocked from most social media sites.

    The reality is that despite the best efforts, many parents, students and teachers tell me that kids regularly know how to defeat the filters and the only ones being blocked from their online destinations are the teachers.

    There are other emerging arguments about the positive and powerful use of technology in schools to enrich the educational process.
    Some of our younger or just more technologically savvy teachers are adopting tech in their lesson plans in creative ways.

    Teachers can meet together in their evening hours to discuss teaching issues and challenges via microblogging sites by using “hashtags” to find each other.

    Other teachers are using wikis and live chats during the classroom hours to encourage otherwise quiet kids to participate.

    Kids who are having difficulties with a lesson can access on-line tutorials or even review the teacher’s lectures via mobile devices without delaying the rest of the class’ progress.

    How should parents be kept in the social media school loop? Would it make you uncomfortable for your teen to chat with a teacher in a social networking page? What if it’s a group and open and visible to you and other community members?

    I’d love to hear your thoughts!

    May 31, 2011 | Filed Under Family Online Safety | Leave a Comment 

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