6:01 PM - Understanding the Vulnerabilities of Social Networking: Teens

BE SAFE ON myspace, PLEASE.
I have really enjoyed my journey into MySpace and have had the pleasure of networking with so many incredible people that I would never have been able to communicate with in the past but what about Teens?

My 13 year old would like a Myspace of her own. My answer - no!! Definitely NO. But that's because I am an over protective mother who has spent the last 18 eyars listening to her husband's stories about criminals and sexual predators. Those he has supervised as a parole officer and those he has sent back to jail or has had threaten his life. Our life is a little different than most....

We still love the safe kid's email systems that we can track but it limits her....I sit and read blogs and book reviews with her on line....very time consuming for me but my choice....

So how do you as a concerned parent discuss safety on the internet with your kids? Places like MySpace? Some suggestions follow:

Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Teens

You've probably learned a long list of important safety and privacy lessons already: Look both ways before crossing the street; buckle up; hide your diary where your nosy brother can't find it; don't talk to strangers.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, is urging kids to add one more lesson to the list: Don't post information about yourself online that you don't want the whole world to know. The Internet is the world's biggest information exchange: many more people could see your information than you intend, including your parents, your teachers, your employer, the police and strangers, some of whom could be dangerous.

Social networking sites have added a new factor to the friends of friends equation. By providing information about yourself and using blogs, chat rooms, email, or instant messaging, you can communicate, either within a limited community, or with the world at large. But while the sites can increase your circle of friends, they also can increase your exposure to people who have less-than-friendly intentions. Youve heard the stories about people who were stalked by someone they met online, had their identity stolen, or had their computer hacked.

Your Safety's at Stake
The FTC suggests these tips for socializing safely online:

* Think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Some sites will allow only a defined community of users to access posted content; others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.

* Think about keeping some control over the information you post. Consider restricting access to your page to a select group of people, for example, your friends from school, your club, your team, your community groups, or your family.

* Keep your information to yourself. Don't post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers and don't post other peoples information, either.

Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline. This could include the name of your school, sports team, clubs, and where you work or hang out.

* Make sure your screen name doesn't say too much about you. Dont use your name, your age, or your hometown. Even if you think your screen name makes you anonymous, it doesnt take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.

* Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing and knowing about you. Many people can see your page, including your parents, your teachers, the police, the college you might want to apply to next year, or the job you might want to apply for in five years.

* Remember that once you post information online, you can't take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other peoples computers.

* Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways you may not be happy about. If you do post one, ask yourself whether its one your mom would display in the living room.

* Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who youre dealing with.

* Be wary if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Before you decide to meet someone, do your research: Ask whether any of your friends know the person, and see what background you can dig up through online search engines. If you decide to meet them, be smart about it: Meet in a public place, during the day, with friends you trust. Tell an adult or a responsible sibling where youre going, and when you expect to be back.

* Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell an adult you trust and report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim.

For More Information
To learn more about staying safe online, visit the following organizations:

Federal Trade Commission
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

GetNetWise
GetNetWise is a public service sponsored by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition wants Internet users to be just one click away from the resources they need to make informed decisions about their and their familys use of the Internet.
Internet Keep Safe Coalition
iKeepSafe.org, home of Faux Paw the Techno Cat, is a coalition of 49 governors/first spouses, law enforcement, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other associations dedicated to helping parents, educators, and caregivers by providing tools and guidelines to teach children the safe and healthy use of technology. The organizations vision is to see generations of children worldwide grow up safely using technology and the Internet.

i-SAFE
Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place. Join them today in the fight to safeguard childrens online experience.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ;
NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization that helps prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; helps find missing children; and assists victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

National Crime Prevention Council ;
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to enable people to create safer and more caring communities by addressing the causes of crime and violence and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur. Among many crime prevention issues, NCPC addresses Internet Safety with kids and parents through www.mcgruff.org and public service advertising under the National Citizens Crime Prevention Campaign symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog and his Take A Bite Out Of Crime.

National Cyber Security Alliance
NCSA is a non-profit organization that provides tools and resources to empower home users, small businesses, and schools, colleges, and universities to stay safe online. A public-private partnership, NCSA members include the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Trade Commission, and many private-sector corporations and organizations.

staysafe
staysafe.org is an educational site intended to help consumers understand both the positive aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of safety and security issues that exist online.

Wired Safety
WiredSafety.org is an Internet safety and help group. Comprised of unpaid volunteers around the world, WiredSafety.org provides education, assistance, and awareness on all aspects of cybercrime and abuse, privacy, security, and responsible technology use. It is also the parent group of Teenangels, FBI-trained teens and preteens who promote Internet safety.

Enjoy the internet with your children - it is a very useful tool when used properly. Safe surfing....

What are your thoughts on the issue? I would love to hear them....

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2:48 AM - Online Security

Security experts suggest avoiding using your mother's maiden name, your spouse's name, your dog's name, birth dates, addresses, or basically any word in any language as a password. Jens Weber-Jahnke, associate professor at the University of Victoria's computer science department and co-founder of the Pervasive Primary Care Informatics Laboratory, recommends combining a random string of at least eight characters, and to use more than just letters. Do not use the same password for everything.

"Somebody should not be able to guess your password."

But Weber-Jahnke realizes that creating a guess-proof password can conflict with our ability to remember it.

A decade or two ago, we didn't need many passwords. But as we rely more on computers and technology, our password and code collections grow. It's easy to hit 20 or more.

We use passwords for online banking and ATM machines. On the Internet we use them to connect with clubs, businesses, libraries, organizations or collect miles for flights and you'll need passwords.

Want to track your utility bills? Use a password.

University and college students need passwords to access and send information to their institutions.

Then there's work. You may need a password to sign onto your computer, one for e-mail, another for the Internet and more. The list just gets bigger.

As our password collections grow, it becomes difficult to remember them. That's why so many websites ask, "Forgot your password?"

Often, you'll be asked a question specific to you and the password will arrive shortly by e-mail.   I was startled the other day to be asked the name of my daughter's hamster. Hammy is long gone and I had to think a while to remember he was originally called Charlotte.

A recent reservation with the airlines asked me for a new password of between eight and 20 letters. I just typed the dog's name in twice. Couldn't be bothered with anything more complex. I know, that's a terrible password.
Microsoft agrees. It just earned a "weak" grade on its "password checker" service on its website.

Weber-Jahnke said to use more than letters when creating a password.
Look on your keyboard to see a selection of numbers and symbols.
Security experts recommend using upper and lower case letters and inserting upper-case letters within the password, not just at the beginning. Something easy to pronounce or symbolizing a sentence can help with recall.

It's not a good idea to use the same password for everything. And remember various sites have different levels of security.

Weber-Jahnke uses one password for banking. He will "guard like a treasure" these types of critical passwords. He is less concerned about using passwords used in a blog.

When it comes to storing our passwords, many of us are sloppy.
One in three people jot down their computer passwords, weakening their security, said a 2006 report from Nucleus Research, a global information technologies company.

It suggests companies turn toward more advanced security, such as biometrics, which uses technology to identify individuals. Voice recognition and thumbprint scanners are examples of biometrics.

"The problem with security is there is always a trade-off between security and convenience," Weber-Jahnke said.
"Some computer programs make it easier to store and manage passwords, They require a master password to get access to those stored in a database.
"Don't forget to change your passwords every so often," he said.

Also, think about whether your laptop is ever left on its own where others could have access, he said. And be aware of the possibility of eavesdropping if using a public wireless network, and of security risks that could happen at Internet cafes.

Passwords come under three main types of attack, said Weber-Jahnke. The "brute force" computer attack program tries out possible combinations of characters. The longer and more complex the password, the better prepared you'll be.

The "dictionary" computer attack can be successful if you use words, names or strings of words that make sense, he said.
"They still occur quite often."
These are a problem because people tend to use names or words or sentences in passwords.

Then there's "leakage," which is a human or socially engineered attack. Leakage refers to examples such as if we share a password with someone or write our password on a sticky note attached to our computer.

It can also take place through fraud.

Technology can be wonderful in many ways but remember - BE SAFE and if you don't know someone sending you and email asking for information don't give it or call the company to make sure the request is legitimate and do it over the phone. Don't lose your identity needlessly....Have a wonderful week!