Kids online

With children gradually going back to school in Latin American regions, it’s time to remind our children of the importance of IT security.

Teaching computer security to highly motivated students at Cyber Boot Camp reveals a lack of basic computer science education in California Schools.

Young people are targeted for data theft at 35 times the rate of adults – they are considered an easy target for both digital and physical theft. You can make going back to school an easier transition by ensuring your data and devices are secure both at school and at home.

When it comes to identity theft, the most successful attack is on the person least likely to be aware of activity being carried out in his or her name. That being the case, it is hard to imagine anyone who better fits the bill than a child.

The Internet is a vast source of information for all of us, and naturally some people use that information for good, and some for ill, like grooming and stalking children. So what things can you as a parent, teacher, or other concerned adult do to protect kids against online predators and solicitation?

Children indulge in highly risky behavior online - with nearly one in five 9-11 year olds having physically met strangers they encountered online. Others use false identities - with some under-10s pretending to be 25.

Children come into contact with the internet at a very young age these days - a survey on a parenting site this year said that one in eight children go online before the age of two. Our tips will help keep youngsters safe - and help them enjoy the internet.

“Children are a formidable adversary - unlike any other,” says Microsoft security researcher Stuart Schechter, in a paper to be presented at the SOUPS security conference next week.