Cybercriminals have gained notoriety in recent years for looking into the webcams of sexual predators and making fake Facebook profiles to make the victims out to be inappropriate or threatening. With the help of software like Avast antivirus, malware creators can even trick unsuspecting children into clicking on scams, to send them infected emails or videos. The Office of the National Coordinator for Cybersecurity and Communications and the National Cyber Security Alliance recently released guidelines for parents to help them protect their kids from cyber-attacks and abuse.
The think tank also said that children today are four times more likely to be victims of cyber-crimes and cases than children were ten years ago. About 25% of those affected are children under the age of 13, according to the Norton Cybersecurity Group. The threat has grown in recent years, fueled in part by a surge in smartphone and tablet adoption, as well as a growing internet economy where kids can earn money from logging onto virtual worlds. They are not the only ones, however. Online attackers have also stolen wealth, and privacy, from nearly 200 million people every year.
One aspect of the public reports has called out parents and adult caregivers, as not doing enough to protect children online. MaryEllen Elia, the director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, said in an email to Time that “the most significant drivers of children’s exploitation on the internet are their parents and caretakers,” and that while preventing child exploitation is a top priority for government and nonprofits, many companies are slow to meet stricter consumer protection requirements that the government has put in place in recent years. The National Cyber Security Alliance supports the FBI’s Cyber Child Exploitation Reporting Portal, which allows parents and guardians to anonymously report images and videos of child sexual exploitation. One tip reported by the portal helped identify an underage sexual offender in Michigan, who, after serving his sentence, created fake accounts to entice young victims back to his home.
The idea that your computer, cell phone, and social media accounts are vulnerable to hackers gained widespread public attention in the past year following news coverage of high-profile hacks like the massive Target data breach and the Sony Pictures cybersecurity incident. In the wake of the data breaches, organizations have recognized that preserving users’ personal data is essential, but once information is online, it is easy to lose control over it. Because of the inadequacy of password security, a report from the Pew Research Center last year showed that 11% of adults use unsecure passwords, such as “password” or “123456.” In most cases, there’s no ability to compel people to change those passwords. Instead, most security experts recommend instead creating different passwords for multiple accounts to protect against stolen ones, for passwords that can’t be easily guessed. As with most things, this can be difficult, and require dedication, time, and practice, but you must take this first step. If you don’t, your information, especially your children’s, can be vulnerable.
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