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:: Cyber
Safety
Being
on the Internet can be a scary thing, but at the same time
the Internet can be a good
thing! Lennon Parker is very passionate about
Cyber Safety and he wanted to share some important information
with all of our visitors to this Web site.
Identity
Online:
Being online
is like driving a car. Your car is identified by its license
plate. On the Internet you are identified by an IP address
which stands for Internet Protocol; this is like the license
plate on your car. Each computer that accesses the Internet
is assigned an IP address by their ISP (Internet Service
Provider). The IP address allows other computers find the
online computer. IP addresses are also used by legal
authorities to find those who break the law online.
You don’t have
to be a police officer, FBI agent, or Cyber detective to
find yourself or ANYONE online. There are several places
online that will provide information about you and your past
for free or for under 50 dollars!
A few of the popular Web sites used are the following. Are
you on one of these sites?
E-mail:
E-mail is used on a daily basis for communication in the
work force or with family and friends. However, you can be a
victim of an attack using e-mail.
Spam:
Many companies advertise their products and have purchased
or have been given e-mail lists which contain your e-mail
address. They take that information and try to market their
product to you. This form of e-mail is referred to as
“spam.” It is best that you only open e-mails from people
you know.
Attachment/Links:
Many individuals use e-mail to trick
users who are not computer savvy to give them their bank
account information and other personal information. To
prevent such a thing from happening to yourself, don’t click
links or download attachments in emails from people you
don’t know. What about incoming e-mail that doesn’t have any
attachments? Can a virus ride in on a simple email? YES!
It’s not likely to happen to you, but it can. The problem is
scripting and objects. In this case, the objects are applets
or ActiveX components. Scripts are small programs, like
macros. But script languages are supposed to be crippled.
For example, unlike macro and other computer languages,
script languages are unable to delete files. Scripts cannot
do damage, but scripts can contain embedded objects that can
do damage. It’s rather like a poison apple. The apple by
itself isn’t dangerous, but it can be a carrier of hidden,
toxic substances. My advice is to never eat an apple handed
to you by a cackling, evil old queen.
Pay-Pal/e-Bay Spoofs: There have been many fake PayPal
and eBay e-mails coming to users e-mail boxes telling them
their accounts have been suspended. If you receive one of
those, make sure you don’t click the link inside the email.
You can report these emails by forwarding them to
spoof@ebay.com and
spoof@paypal.com.
Chat Rooms:
In the past before personal computers were brought into the
homes for everyday life, many people would talk on the phone
and know who they are talking to. Today, many people not
only talk on the phone but also talk in chat rooms where
anybody can be anybody and you don’t know who it is on the
other side of that screen. Users can be 40 years old in the
real world but be turning 17 or younger again online. If you
use a chat room, stay alert! Never give out any personal
information such as your phone number, home address, or
anything that someone can use to find you.
Cyber
Bullying:
The term cyber bullying was first used by
Canadian educator Bill Belsey, creator of the Web site
www.bullying.org. People can be cruel. No matter how old
you are, words or messages you receive in a chat room,
e-mail, or in an instant message can be hurtful. Sometimes
things said can be illegal. One of the more recognized
instances of cyber bullying occurred when Eric Harris, one
of the killers in the Columbine High School massacre, put up
a web site where he discussed murdering fellow students.
Unfortunately, no action was taken against Harris by the
authorities at the time. If you know someone who is a victim
of Cyber bullying have them contact their local police or
www.cybertipline.com.
Shopping
Online: If you are one of those people who prefer
not to wait in long lines and drive through traffic or just
want the convenience of shopping from home, then you have
probably shopped online. Shopping online can be fun and
safe! Make sure before you shop online and give out your
personal information such as your credit card number and
your home address that a small gold lock box appears on the
bottom of the browser for the page that is asking for this
information. This means the page asking for this information
in encrypted and has an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
certificate which makes it safe to shop. Never give out your
credit card number or personal information over the internet
unless you see the gold box below. Sometimes you will get
asked this information from eBay and PayPal in your e-mail.
These companies will never ask for that information via
e-mail.
IP Address:
Each IP address is unique, its almost as good as the
physical home address to identify the suspect for
investigation. Using the IP address, you can trace e-mail
back to its origin. For example, someone you don’t know sent
you an e-mail and made a threat to you and your family. You
have their IP address which is 152.163.204.73. Visit the
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) Web site at
www.arin.net.
The results will provide the users Internet Service Provider
(ISP) information and how to contact them to make a report.
:: Online
Safety Tips
-
Select a gender-neutral username, email address, etc. Avoid
anything cute, sexual, diminutive, or overtly feminine.
Keep your
primary email address private. Use your primary email
address ONLY for people you know and trust.
Get a free email account and use that for all your other
online activity. Make sure you select a gender-neutral
username that is nothing like anything you've had before.
There are many, many free email providers, such as Hotmail,
Juno, Yahoo! and Hushmail. We suggest that you do a search
using your favorite search engine and choose the email
provider that best suits your own needs.
Don't give out information simply because it is requested.
Countless web sites ask you to give them your full name,
date of birth, address, phone number, email address, etc.
when you might just want to search their catalogs or read
messages on a discussion forum. Give as little information
as possible, and if they insist on information that doesn't
seem justified, leave to go elsewhere. Some people give
false information at such sites, especially if they don't
plan to return in the future. Be especially cautious of
"profiles" and "directory listings" for instant messaging
programs or web sites.
Block or ignore unwanted users. Whether you are in a chat
room or using IM, you should always check out what
options/preferences are available to you and take advantage
of the "Block all users except those on my buddy list" or
adding unwanted usernames to an Ignore list in chat. If
anyone bothers you and won't go away, put them on block or
ignore!
Never use a business account for personal use. Simply
leaving messages on a discussion board will reveal your IP
address to others. That information can easily lead to a
stalker knowing where you work and finding you offline.
Restrict personal internet use to home and public access
computers.
Ego Surf. Put your first name and last name in quotes in a
search engine such as Yahoo!, Google or Dogpile and see if
there are any results regarding you. You just might be
surprised at what you find. Also put in the names of your
spouse, loved ones and/or children. Remember to put their
names in quotes to refine the search results. Better yet,
use TracerLock or a similar service to do it for you on a
regular basis.
Don't provide your credit card number or other identifying
information as proof of age to access or subscribe to a web
site run by any person or company with whom you are not
personally familiar or that doesn't have an extremely good,
widespread reputation. Check consumer advocacy resources
before giving out your credit card number to anyone, just to
be sure that your trust is justified.
Personally monitor children's internet use, even if you have
trained them in what information they can and cannot give
out. There is no software in the world that can replace the
active involvement of a concerned parent.
Instruct children to never, ever give out personal
information - their real name, address, or phone number
online without your permission. Consider posing as a
stranger to befriend them just to see what you can learn.
Be very cautious about putting any pictures of yourself or
your children online anywhere, or allowing anyone else
(relatives, schools, dance academies, sports associations)
to publish any photos. Some stalkers become obsessed because
of an image. A random email address or screen name is simply
much less attractive to most obsessive personalities than a
photograph.
Source of Tips:
www.haltabuse.org
The Halt Abuse Web site is an excellent Web site for tips,
sources for reporting abuse and just a great site in
general. I refer it to my colleagues and use it for myself
in reports or lectures I give on Internet Security.
Want Lennon
Parker to speak at your school or organization on Cyber
Safety?
 Lennon Parker
is available for public speaking in the United States about
Cyber Safety, in which he presents "Your Footprints Are Always Left Online."
A presentation that features online identity theft, online
identity, Blogging, shopping, MySpace and even shares how
you can trace another person online for free!
Lennon has
given this presentation at different organizations and the
crowd always leaves breathless!
If
you would like to schedule Lennon Parker to present this
workshop, please contact
Lennon at the following:
Lennon Parker Productions
6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Suite 20-123
North Little Rock, AR 72116
Phone: (501) 744-4422
E-mail:
lennon@lennonparker.com |
