Introduction to Web Safety Basic online security threats and how to deal with them

Phishing Emails Imitate a trusted company Often contains typos or unprofessional conduct Urges immediate action to “protect your account” Sends user through insecure links. Do NOT click these links under any circumstance Asks for important card information/passwords

Facebook Phishing Very similar to fishing emails, contains strange links to malicious websites. Often comes in the form of a facebook message from someone you don’t speak to often. Either contains a “get rich quick” scheme, or “embarrassing information” about you. Do not believe this. If you receive a phishing message, nothing will happen if you simply ignore it.

Insecure/Malicious Websites High – risk areas: Free streaming websites, free games, “dirty” websites. Google Chrome and Firefox automatically identify these websites and notify the user. To return to the last safe site you visited, click the “Back to safety” button. Only click the “Proceed to site (unsafe)” button if you are POSITIVE that the site is safe.

Malicious Ads/Adblock Certain ads may contain phishing links, or links to insecure/malicious websites. These ads often advertise products that are too good to be true, although they are sometimes indistinguishable from normal ads. The easiest way to avoid malicious ads is to install Adblock. Adblock is a Google Chrome extension for mac and PC that automatically hides and disables ads.

Checking History/Downloads All web browsers store a history of sites that were previously visited, and downloads that were conducted. These browsers generally have a way to check this history, which is useful for identifying malicious or inappropriate sites that your child may be using. This is not 100% foolproof. A user can still clear their history, erasing any evidence that they visited certain sites.

Password Security In order for a password to be secure, it must be greater than 8 characters in length and contain a combination of characters and numbers. A password consisting of less than 8 lowercase letters and no numbers or symbols can be cracked by a hacker in less than 200 milliseconds. To ensure a secure password, avoid using complete words, or anything in your username (ex: password1) A tip to generating a secure password is to memorize a pattern on the keyboard instead of a word or phrase To see how secure your password is, visit https://howsecureismypassword.net/

Cyberbullying (Online bullying) Signs of Cyberbullying How you can help Being emotionally upset during or after using the internet or the phone Being protective of one’s digital life Avoiding school or group meetings Wanting to stop using the computer or cellphone Avoiding discussions about computer or cellphone activities. Let someone at school know about the situation Encourage your child not to respond to cyberbullying Block the bully from your child’s social media Know your child’s online behavior