Staying Safe, Having Fun, And Cruising The ‘Net Daniel Owens IT Security Professional

Agenda Introduction Staying Safe Having Fun Cruising The ‘Net Conclusion And Appendices

A Note About Good And Evil Nothing in this world is purely good or purely evil – to include the Internet and those who use it. -Daniel Owens

With That Said… A Note About Me Currently Working as a NASA contractor in IT Security Formerly Worked for/with the… Department of Defense (DoD) to include the NSA FBI Justice Department MicrosoftOracleCisco And many more… MySpaceIBMXerox Booz Allen Hamilton SystemSecurities

Agenda Introduction Staying Safe Having Fun Cruising The ‘Net Conclusion And Appendices

Protecting Your Computer Apply updates and patches This includes for the Operating System, your web browser, any plug-ins and add-ons for the web browser, any games, and any other software Use Anti-Malware Software This includes antivirus, antispyware, and anti- adware software Examples Include (all free for home use): AVG and Avast! Spybot Search & Destroy Adaware

Protecting Your Privacy Don’t fill out online surveys or enter contests without permission Many of these are simply there to get information about you and some can be harmful Never give out sensitive information about yourself, your family, or others This includes addresses, school names, your full name, phone numbers, and your schedule/vacation data in advance Don’t open or respond to SPAM And don’t give your address to just anyone

Doubt Everything If you can’t verify someone’s identity, you can’t trust them with your information Anyone can post just about anything on the Internet… pretending to be just about anyone Just like any other medium

Doubt Everything (cont.)

Agenda Introduction Staying Safe Having Fun Cruising The ‘Net Conclusion And Appendices

Cyberbullying Often either a source of or voice for rumors Common places are MySpace and Facebook Often successful only AFTER the victim starts to respond to the bully(ing) While it may be difficult, ignoring posts and simply blocking instant messages from people you don’t know is the best way to stop cyberbullying Can also include compromising a victim’s account and using it Again, MySpace and Facebook are common vectors, but so are Instant Messengers

Cyberpredators Few cyberpredators give out their real age, name, and other information And anyone can find a picture online Unsolicited instant messages, posts, and s from strangers should never be responded to 40% of females have been solicited on the Internet at least once before graduating high school Males are vulnerable too Should be treated the same as bullying

If All Else Fails Change your account name and password Most bullies and predators won’t be able to track you if you change your information… unless you give it to them Don’t go there… Just don’t visit the site The Internet isn’t anonymous Well-trained professionals (and criminals) can track down almost anyone on the Internet If you’re a victim, talk to your parents and/or a trusted adult

Agenda Introduction Staying Safe Having Fun Cruising The ‘Net Conclusion And Appendices

Be Suspicious Of The Unknown Warez and Torrents Many of the software and videos on these sites are bugged in one way or another Free Games and Software Many of the freeware and shareware software gathers personal information Often the company owning the software then sells the data Unknown Websites Some sites are designed to install malware onto visitor computers

Be Suspicious Of The Unknown (cont.)

Online Gaming Protect your privacy Give out as little information as possible And don’t have your screenname be your real name Find a ‘room’ where you feel both safe and comfortable and stay there If things start to go downhill, leave and don’t come back Avoid games with monthly fees These often require you to give credit card information and other data that an attacker can steal from the server

Agenda Introduction Staying Safe Having Fun Cruising The ‘Net Conclusion And Appendices

For More Information Media Awareness Network (MNet) Cyberbullying Research Center NetAlert OnGuard Online

For More Information (cont.) Safe Internet Alliance GRC IT Security Office STOP Cyberbullying

Acknowledgements I stole the background and some clipart from Microsoft I stole a lot from my experiences and previous writings