Early in 05, I’ll be finishing a course about family online safety for my other job writing security education courses http://www.thesecurityawarenesscompany.com/products/online.php.
So I’d like to offer you my top four tips to pass onto your friends and family in 2005:
1. If it’s too good to be true, it is. Don’t send your information or your money for offers of instant college degree, high-end merchandise, travel, etc., at bargain-basement prices. If someone offers you money for nothing, be suspicious.
2. Nothing’s free on the Internet. Free graphics, movies, music-sharing programs, etc., wreak havoc on your home network and your privacy by installing spyware, popups, etc.
3. Don’t trust strangers. If you don’t know them in the real world, then you don’t know who you’re dealing with in cyberspace. You could be talking to a dog, a woman, another kid your age, or a 50-year-old sicko trolling for a youngster.
4. Thou shalt not trust links and attachments you didn’t ask for. Not in e-mail, chat rooms, or instant message. Even pictures could contain viruses. So if you’ve never met the person sending you that pix, you shouldn’t open it.
Have a happy and safe New Year!
