• Shop on secure sites. You've probably noticed that every Web address has
"http" at the beginning. If there's an "https," the "s" stands for "secure,"
which means the site provides an extra layer of security. For example, those
"https" sites encrypt or scramble your password, credit card numbers and
other information so they can't be used if intercepted.
• Use secure Wi-Fi. Be sure that your home network uses encryption and a
password to prevent others from accessing it and be careful when using Wi-Fi
at coffee shops, airports and other public places. Only sign into known
networks (like those operated by the establishment) and, because public
networks are often less secure than private ones, avoid banking or shopping
or doing anything highly confidential when using public Wi-Fi.
What about kids?
!
There are some security threats aimed specifically at kids or teens, but most are
aimed at any potential victim, regardless of age. Sometimes they just involve
websites or subjects that interest a lot of kids, such as fan sites, YouTube,
Instagram and other media-sharing services. And, as hard as it sometimes is for
adults to know the difference between a legitimate offer and a scam, it can be even
harder for children who haven’t yet honed their critical thinking skills.
• Kids love videos. So malicious links can turn up in popular video-sharing
sites like YouTube. Ask your children if they've ever seen links that could
take viewers to inappropriate or illegal content in other sites and ask them
what they do when they encounter them. If they were familiar with the scam
they probably ignored them but these bogus links can be cleverly disguised.
Ads, too, can either link kids to content that isn't appropriate or scams and
third-party sites that capture sensitive information. Young people need to be
wary of "make a new friend" links, dating sites, and gossipy-sounding scams
that look like invites from friends or tempt them to "find out who's talking
about you" or "…who has a crush on you."
• Kids often use family computers. Since most kids don’t have credit cards,
you might think that they’re not vulnerable to financial crimes, but if children
share a computer or device with parents, their online activities can affect all
users, including any online shopping, banking or work parents do at home
(be careful when logging into your work network from a shared computer).
And parents will want to be aware that, if kids check browser history, they
can be exposed to sites their parents visit on the family computer.
• Kids can be big fans. Like a lot of adults, but sometimes with even more
devotion (or time), kids and teens follow and chat online about their favorite
celebrities in all kinds of fields. There are lots of celebrity sites, and the ones
operated by the celebrities themselves or entertainment news publishers are
fine. But kids need to be extra wary of fan sites that turn up in search results
but aren’t actually run by the celebrities and the people who cover them. It's