Anne Bubnic's List: Digital Citizenship/Computer Security

The folks at AnyPlace Control (remote desktop access) have compiled this list of resources for computer security. Many are related to protecting children.

This article outlines the dangers of using unsecured WIFI networks both at home and with others. Hackers can access and capture sensitive data over your network.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and the National Cyber Security Alliance is looking to raise awareness among college students to help them stay safe and secure online.

According to the 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report, college students lost five times more money than any other age group as a result of identity fraud or other online fraud situations.

Two out of three online U.S. households use social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, nearly twice as many as a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Reports State of the Net survey. But millions who use these services put themselves and their families at risk by exposing very sensitive personal information, according to the national survey of 2,000 online households conducted in January by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

A free-to-play "alternate reality game" from the UK commissioned by Channel 4 Education that is intended to give teenage players a personal encounter with everything from identity theft to cyber stalking. Kids (age 14-16) explore websites, search for clues, receive phone calls, chat on IM, and tackle puzzles and mini-games. Through thirteen challenges, (each lasting 10-20 minutes) and a dramatic storyline, they find out who they can trust and who they can't.

The 7th in the series of guides looking at common security threats on the internet and what to do to protect against them, this time looking at Viruses, Worms and Trojans.

<b>Budd:e Secondary</b> explores advanced e-security topics, including: creating content, file-sharing, pop-ups, privacy, sharing, scams, spam, spyware, malware, phishing, online transactions and computer viruses. Includes videos and teacher resources.

Anti-Phishing Phil™ is an engaging online game that teaches students and adults how to identify phishing URLs. The game was developed at Carnegie Mellon (in partnership with Wombat Security Technologies). Scientific evaluation has shown that Phil is more engaging than traditional training solutions and significantly more effective in terms of how well people are later able to detect phishing attacks and how long they remember what they have learned.

Identity theft can affect everyone, including teenagers. It is important for you to know what information is needed to steal your identity and the best ways of protecting your information. Your information, in the wrong hands, can ‘jack your life!’ The site includes lesson plans, games and a video.

Are we TOO connected? Social networking services from Twitter and Foursquare to Yelp and Buzz encourage users to log in and share their location. Please Rob Me is a website by Forthehack that lists updates on Twitter and Foursquare from people who are telling they world that they are not home. Scary stuff and definitely something both kids (and adults) need to consider.

Article discusses "identity" in terms of DIGITAL FOOTPRINT (your online digital trail) and DIGITAL SHADOW (public/private information that is known about you from commercial transactions etc).

A Frenchman will face trial after hacking into Twitter accounts, including that of U.S President Barack Obama, a French prosecutor said.

Defend your virtual home. Some pretty bad folks are trying to break into your computer all the time. But you can make it a lot harder for them.

Many younger people have very nuanced ideas about Internet privacy. They post deeply personal information on social networking sites, but understand and use various privacy locks so only certain people can see their profiles. Good discussion points in here for a digital citizenship class.

A majority of teenagers who go online maintain one or more profiles at social networking Web sites. Most teens restrict access to to their profiles, but "friends" who access the profiles routinely number in the hundreds. Mary Madden, a senior researcher with the Pew Internet and American Life Project, tells Robert Siegel that society will likely become more accepting of the "digital footprints" young people leave online. Good discussion points in here for a digital citizenship class.

Rising concern about computer security. The San Jose Mercury News recently ran a three-part series focusing on everything from phishing schemes and identity theft to student safety on the Internet. In many districts, technology directors are finding they have to do more and more to insure that data is not compromised and to see that students are not using school networks to access inappropriate content. Part I: How online crooks put us all at risk <br>\nPart II: How well are we protecting ourselves?<br>\nPart III: U.S. targets terrorists as online thieves run amok

Video tutorials from GetNetWise on family internet safety topics like turning on filtering, making social networks more private, using WiFi, monitoring cookie files, hiding browser history information, spyware and spam filtering.

OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. There are ten colorful flash-based quizzes here appropriate for students on security topics such as phishing, hackers, spyware etc.

Advice for teens on protecting themselves and their computers: Learn how to protect yourself from cyberbullies, predators and online scams.

Watch these short videos to learn more about the top security issues that affect consumers like you. If you're new to learning about protecting your computer and your information online, you can start with the basics.