Staying Safe Online Aberdeen Grammar School

Things to do online Keep in touch with friends and family using , twitter and social networking sites. Chat to people online, phone them and use video links Use search engines to find all sorts of information Buy just about anything Work with other people in a group using wiki or an e-group

Dangers of using the Internet When you go online some people might try to Infect your computer with viruses and spyware Steal your identity Control your computer then use it to steal information or defraud banks Fill up your inbox with spam Hack into your computer Use chat-rooms to bully you and get information about you

Stopping some of the dangers happening Antivirus Software A computer virus is a program that will damage your computer. What are the signs that your computer has a virus? Hard Drive spinning for no reason Data could go missing Screen display could go wrong Keyboard malfunction Antivirus software will find and destroy the virus software

Stopping some of the dangers happening Anti-spyware Software Spyware is a program that spies on your computer, steals information and sends it back to the person who made the spyware. Anti-spyware software will find and destroy the spyware

Stopping some of the dangers happening Firewall A firewall is a program that protects your computer by preventing other people from getting into your system or taking control of your computer across the Internet. Your operating system for example Window XP, Vista or 7 will have a firewall built into it.

Stopping some of the dangers happening Security Suites You can now buy a security suite that combines antivirus software, anti-spyware software and a firewall in one package.

More Defences Backups In case any data is lost or destroyed it is important to make a regular backup A backup is another copy of your data stored on an external device such as Memory Stick CD or DVD External hard drive

More Defences Encryption If you keep sensitive data on your computer it can be protected from being read if you encrypt the data Encrypting the data means storing it as a code which only your software can decode.

More Defences Protect your wireless connection If you use a wireless network some people might try to find out what you are doing or use your connection to commit a crime Make sure you switch on the encryption on your wireless network, that will keep unwanted people out

Shopping Online Safely Check that you are shopping at a real website and not a fake criminal one. Before you buy anything, check the website’s security Before you pay make sure that the website is using secure way to pay, for example PayPal. When you buy things at an online auction, check out the seller before you purchase and be careful not to hand over any personal details

Beware of phishing Some crooks will try to get your personal details so that they can steal your money or buy things using your bank account. They send out s trying to get personal information from you, this is known as phishing. Phishing can also be done using fake websites, known as spoofing

Filtering Software Filtering software checks web pages and for undesirable content. Schools use filtering software which blocks access to websites which may upset pupils, parents or teachers.

Social Networking Sites Facebook and MySpace are two examples of social networking sites Social networking sites can be an excellent way to keep in touch with friends and family There are dangers of using these sites, for example, listing too many personal details can lead to Identity Theft

Cyberbullying Social Networking sites can be used to bully others Bullying can take place in chat-rooms and discussion forums , IM and text messaging can also be used to bully others

Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is against the law and if you are being bullied in this way then Save all bullying s, text messages and web pages so that they can be used as evidence Report bullying to the police, the mobile phone operator, the chat-room or discussion moderator Be careful who you share personal information such as mobile phone numbers of addresses with.

Chat-rooms Chat rooms are social spaces on the internet, where you can meet and connect with other people Chat rooms can be based around a topic such as music, games or science Some people in chat rooms will pretend to be someone else and try to get your personal information Lots of chat rooms have moderators who check what is going on

Grooming Grooming is when an adult uses the Internet to get to know a young person The adult will pretend to be young themselves and gradually get lots of information from the young person and try to become their friend

Anti-Grooming Tips Be careful who you share personal information with in a chat room or forum Any information or pictures you share over the Internet can quickly travel the world Be wary of free gifts and offers over the Internet as it may be a way of gaining personal information Only join chat rooms that have a moderator