Helping familes to be smart, secure and civil online
Have you ever offered your child an iPad to play games in order to get some uninterrupted time to cook dinner, or to do some work around the house? Many of us have. It’s common for parents to allow young kids to play games on parent-owned phones or tablets.
But a new report from security firm Rubica finds many gaming apps for kids contain significant security risks and may not be safe for use. Find out more in this Cyber Savvy Mom column on BayState Parent.
*Image by Hal Gatewood
Social media adds much to our lives: friend connections, socializing, funny memes, political arguments (OK, maybe not ALL of it is positive). But putting yourself out their on a social network also brings risk into your life. Criminals know how much we love to log on and be social, and these sites are common targets for cons. Falling for these schemes sets you up for a malware infection on your device, or even a financial loss if someone manages to fool you into sending them money.
Be on guard for the darker activity making the rounds on social media. Check out these social media scams currently making the rounds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other popular sites.
There is a product/service being heavily promoted right now called kID Sure, a child identity protection service offered by the folks at Identity Guard.
I don’t currently use or subscribe to any of Identity Guard’s services, including kID Sure, but I have to admit I’m intrigued.
As a journalist who covers cyber crime and identity theft, and as a volunteer who lectures in my community about online dangers, I frequently note that children are very desirable targets for identity theft because they typically have a virtually untarnished credit profile that is just ripe for the picking by identity thieves.
Think about it: Your child’s social security number is a precious item for a con artist looking to take out lines of credit in another person’s name. Chances are the SS number is completely clean, so if the criminal can successfully begin to build a credit profile with it, they can use it for months to pose as your child and buy things illegally, wracking up thousands in credit debt. This usually comes to a halt once they have done enough damage with the number by defaulting on payments. At that point, the SS number is no longer considered useful and the criminal moves on and steals some other child’s SS number.
Meanwhile, your child fails to find out their identity has been comprised for years, usually only becoming aware of the fraud when they apply for college loans, lines of credit or when trying to get a job.
There are many, many things you and your child need to be doing in order to protect their identity and kID Sure seems like a good idea (again, I have not tried the service). I’d love to hear from readers who have enrolled and hear what they think of the services. According to the Identity Guard web site, the service starts at $4.99 a month. That’s about $60 a year per child.
In the video below, an Identity Guard representative describes kID Sure. And, from their web site, here is a description of the kID Sure service:
From the doctor’s office to school, camp, sports teams, dance class and more, your child’s private information exists in many places. And although those places may seem trustworthy, they may actually be leaving your kids vulnerable to identity theft.
All-new, patent-pending technology scours thousands of data sources on the Web, looking for information related to your child to let you know if it may be appearing in unsecure locations.
F-Secure is announcing today its Cyber Monday Cyber-Watch List, its annual compilation of the most ‘dangerous’ holiday gifts to be encountered while shopping online this year based on the prevalence of ‘poisoned’ search results on the web.
Cyber Monday, the unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season online, will occur this November 28, 2011, bringing with it throngs of Internet shoppers on the hunt for the best deals and hottest products. Unfortunately, the period also brings with it a similarly motivated group of cybercriminals targeting unassuming shoppers as they use search engines to find gifts for their loved ones.
Google search results for products often include links to ‘poisoned’ sites, or malicious websites that can infect an unsecured computer with viruses, worms and other malware, putting one’s personal and financial information at risk.
The more popular an item is, the more likely it will attract a dangerous search result, which could lead to malware or an unreliable merchant. Here are the products we anticipate will be targeted by cybercriminals this holiday season:
1. Apple iPhone 4S
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 DVD
3. Angry Birds: Knock on Wood Game
4. Steve Jobs biography
5. Fijit Friends Willa Interactive Toy
6. Michael Buble ‘Christmas’ album
7. Apple iPad 2
8. Kindle Fire tablet
9. Silver ‘Heart’ pendants
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Here are three tips from F-Secure to ensure you stay safe while shopping online this Cyber Monday, and throughout the 2011 holiday season:
Cyber Savvy Mom 