Thursday 10 January 2019

Avoiding PUPs!

Avoiding PUPs!


We’re not referring to those small, furry, wide eye adorable little creatures. The PUPs we are referring to aren’t cute and are potentially dangerous. PUP stands for Potentially Unwanted Program. The acronym is used by the information security industry to identify software that a user may perceive as unwanted.

PUPs are an important piece of malicious software that you should be aware of and understand. These sneaky little programs come bundled in with software that you knowingly (and sometimes, unknowingly) download onto your computer. We’ve all done it at one time or another. You need a piece of software to complete a project or assignment that you are already behind schedule on. You search the internet for the software you need, scroll past the Google AdWord search results, find the software you need, and quickly click through the installation. You breeze through (or ignore) the fine print and click the “I agree” checkbox to just install the thing – and install these extra applications. Not only have you now downloaded the software you wanted, but you now have several other programs you probably don’t want. These unwanted programs can range from annoying adware with pop-ups, auto-installed new toolbars, to more sinister software that collects private information.    

It only takes a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself from a vicious PUP:

  • Carefully read through the install wizard instructions, end user license agreement, terms and conditions, and privacy terms when installing software.
  • Select the “custom” install and not the standard installation option and don’t blindly click next..next…next.
  • Check the checkboxes to make sure you are only getting the software you want and need.
  • Use a pop-up blocker or anti-spyware software.
Watching out for PUP’s will keep your computer safe and avoid those unwanted accidents.

Tips for “The Talk” With Your Kids – the Tech Talk that is

Tips for “The Talk” With Your Kids – the Tech Talk that is


Children are getting connected to the internet at a very early age. It’s a fascinating world where so much information and entertainment is right at your fingertips. But there are real, genuine dangers to the cyber world, and it’s important that children and teens understand the perils that exist.

In the National Cyber Security Alliance’s (NCSA) second annual Keeping Up With Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey, “online teens reported that their parents are their primary source for learning about online safety and security.” This is a comforting thought for parents. Yet, 57 percent of the teens report having online accounts for social media platforms or apps that their parents don’t know about. It’s not unusual for teenagers to have aspects of their lives that they don’t share with their parents. What’s important is that they feel comfortable coming to parents for advice when something does happen.

Here are a few tips to help parents have that important conversation with their children regarding Tech Safety.

1) It’s Not the Tech – It’s How You Use It.  The latest and greatest trend or app can be very exciting and enticing for anyone, but especially for young people. The same things that are great about the newest Smartphone (enhanced camera, live streaming, and greater storage) can also be access points for hackers and cyberbullies. Talk as a family about privacy settings, appropriate online behavior, and good safety habits.

2) Start Young. If a child is old enough to be interested in your phone, tablet, or computer, they are old enough to start talking to about being safe online. Much like teaching them to cross the street or not to play with fire, providing guidance to their online participation is important to their understanding of safety online. Did you know that 92% of two-year-olds in the U.S. have an online presence? And that 80% of kids cannot tell if they are talking to a child or an adult posing as a child? These are the reasons it’s important to start teaching your children about being safe on the internet from the beginning. Keeping it conversational also makes them comfortable about talking to you about their online life and what they see, so you can continue to help them as they grow.

3) Set Rules Together – and be willing to change them. Setting rules and guidelines for children is important, but a laundry list of Do Not’s is not likely to be adhered to. As mentioned above, teens and children will sometimes wonder where they shouldn’t without telling their parents. Creating a basic set of rules that everyone in the house needs to follow (i.e.: limiting using tablets and phones during dinner or family time, or getting family members permission before sharing photos or information) shows the rules aren’t to punish, but to support and guide them through the internet maze. As children grow and technology changes, be flexible to changing rules. Most important is to listen to them, and help them decide good rules and guidelines for themselves.

4) If It’s on the Net, It’s there Forever. It may seem like you can lead an anonymous life online, but the pictures and comments made never really go away. News stories are filled with images, texts, posts, emails and more that are made long ago but come back to haunt the person that posted them. These news stories are perfect opportunities to have a conversation with your children about protecting yourself online.  An innocent comment can quickly become a meme or misunderstood and turn into a bullying situation. And, though children and teens don’t often think to the future, these negative posts can hurt them when it comes to scholarships, college applications, and jobs. Comments have consequences, whether you realize it or not.

Having the Tech Talk with your children shouldn’t become a battleground or something to fear. It should be an opportunity for the whole family to learn about how to enjoy and travel the internet safely.

For more resources about talking to your children and teens about online safety, you can look to a local library, like the New York Public Library, The Child Development Institute, or organizations such as NetSmart Teens, or Stop Think Connect.

Keep your smart home safe

Keeping Your Smart Home Safe

The Promise of IoT

 

About 4% of the world’s population was on the internet when Kevin Ashton, a British scientist working at Proctor and Gamble (P&G) used the term the “Internet of Things” in a 1999 presentation he was working on. The presentation focused on the use of radio frequency identification tags (RFID) in the P&G supply chain. His argument was that computers could be much more efficient if they weren’t dependent on humans to input data. He wrote, “If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things—using data they gathered without any help from us—we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss, and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best. We need to empower computers with their own means of gathering information, so they can see, hear and smell the world for themselves, in all its random glory. RFID and sensor technology enable computers to observe, identify, and understand the world—without the limitations of human-entered data.

 

Fast Forward to 2018

 

The world Ashton wrote about is becoming a reality. Gartner, Inc. forecasts that by 2020 there will be 20.4 billion connected things in use worldwide. The use of “Smart” technology in many of the products we use in our homes is enabling seamless connections between devices, people, networks, and services. These devices, the data they collect, and the power of the internet are creating opportunities to gain greater insight into end-user behavior, improved customer service, and more personalized user experience.

 

The Risks

 

Many of today’s smart devices can collect, analyze, and share data without human intervention or knowledge. If we consider the broad range of connectable devices, we quickly see that there are many access points a cyber attacker can potentially compromise. Given the interconnectivity of many of these devices, gaining access to one device can potentially allow a hacker to compromise the entire IoT ecosystem.

 

How to Protect Yourself

 

Here are a few basic steps you can take to protect your devices and data from cybersecurity threats.

 

1. Device security

  • Purchase your smart devices from reputable vendors.

  • Beware of purchasing the non-brand name and preowned devices.

  • Install software updates and security patches, especially on new devices.

  • Check for updates frequently since many smart devices don’t automatically update.

  • When installing new software, carefully read through the install wizard instructions and select the “custom” install and not the standard installation option.

2. Secure your network

  • Check your filters and firewall configurations for exceptions.

  • Don’t allow the network to send out data without your permission.

  • Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) instead of the public cloud.

  • Install antivirus software.

  • Install a smart firewall.

3. Follow cybersecurity best practices

The IoT of Kevin Ashton’s prediction is now a part of everyday life, both at work and in your home. There are great benefits, but there is also the responsibility of being aware of the limitations and vulnerabilities. You’re not only keeping your smart home safe, but you're also keeping your family safe as well.