Table of contents for Issue 1 in Internet Security The Complete Manual

Modern Day Security Types of Security Risk Types of Security Risk There are more security risks for your computer than just the common, run-of-the-mill virus. The amount of digital use the average person has over the course of a week has increased significantly in just a few years, and with it comes a legion of security related issues. Here Be Dragons This isn’t a definitive list of the possible threats available for the Windows user but here are ten modern risks that you face every time you power up your PC. 01 Viruses Viruses have been around for as long as computers. They’ve moved on from simply displaying the name of the coder on the monitor, a kind of virtual vandalism, and now can disable and wipe the data off a hard…

Modern Day Security Ransomware: How it Works Ransomware: How it Works The first instance of an extortion attack is credited to Joseph Popp back in 1989. Since then the frequency, delivery and scale of ransomware attacks has increased significantly; so what is ransomware and how does it work? Ransomware is a particularly nasty form of malware and digital threat. There’s usually some kind of ransomware headlining in the news around the world and those who are the victims are often at a loss as to what to do next. Essentially, ransomware will infect an individual computer and one of two things can happen: first, it locks the computer, stopping all access to it from the keyboard, then it starts to search for data and encrypt the contents of the hard drive.…

Modern Day Security Pharming Pharming Whilst on the subject of homophones, another recently added word to the long list of security threats is Pharming. Pharming falls within the online fraud layer of security and although in reality it’s been around for as long as web pages have, the methods of deception are continually evolving. So what exactly is pharming? In short, this is the criminal act of producing a fake website and redirecting the victims to it. The website could be anything from a reasonably popular online shopping store, to one of the well-known high street banks. The victim, unaware that the web site is fake, as the front end apes the real thing, even down to the small print at the bottom of the page, will login with their details.…

Protecting Yourself INDEX Protecting Yourself Being able to recognise a scam or virus is one thing but you need to know how to protect yourself against possible attacks. We look at the top Internet security packages, from Bitdefender, Kaspersky and McAfee, as well as what encryption is and how to make it work for you. Using a Virtual Private Network is an excellent way to improve your Windows security, we’ll look at how a VPN works, what the best VPNs are and how to install and use one on your PC.…

Protecting Yourself Bitdefender Total Security 2019 Review Bitdefender Total Security 2019 Review Bitdefender is regarded as one of the best antivirus and security companies in the world. Its products have won numerous awards and have been proved time and time again to be efficient and effective whilst offering cutting edge technology. The Ultimate Protection There’s a lot to offer from Bitdefender’s Total Security 2019. It’s one of the leading security suites available and is cited as possibly the best total protection package in the world. Let’s see what it has to offer. Total Security 2019 is Bitdefender’s flagship product and offers comprehensive security packages for Windows, macOS and Android users, all under a single web portal. Pricing does alter slightly, depending on what special deal may be available, but expect to…

Protecting Yourself Setting Up Windows 10 Security Setting Up Windows 10 Security Before we dig deeper into the many levels of Windows 10 security features, it’s worth taking a moment to check that the initial security features are in indeed up and running, and doing what they’re supposed to. Are You Secure? Remarkably, despite having an antivirus client installed, some users aren’t even aware of the default Windows 10 security features. Here’s a quick ten step process to check everything is working as it should. STEP 1 Start by clicking on the Windows Start Button or pressing the Windows key on your keyboard. Enter security into the search bar and click the first option that appears in the results, Security and Maintenance. STEP 2 This will open the Security and Maintenance…

Protecting Yourself How to Secure Your Web Browser How to Secure Your Web Browser The web browser is possibly the weakest link in the entire security chain. It’s the software product that’s on the front line, the one that will inevitably bear the brunt of any Internet attacks and as such, attackers focus a lot of effort on making the browser a portal into your system. Safer Surfing Securing your web browser isn’t too difficult. There are plenty of options available, including some third-party add-ons you can use to improve security. For this tutorial, we’re using Chrome. STEP 1 Start by opening Chrome and clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right of the browser window. This is the link to the available options; from the list choose Settings.…

Protecting Yourself How to Secure Your Wireless Network How to Secure Your Wireless Network It may seem a little far-fetched but it’s not unfeasible for a hacker to sit outside your house with a tablet or laptop and gain access to your home network via the router’s Wi-Fi signal. Understandably it’s quite rare but it’s worth considering beefing up your protection. Wi-Fi, Lock and Key A lot of the standard tips on protecting your Wi-Fi merge with those of protecting your wired network. It’s common sense mostly and keeping an eye on what’s going on in your own network. ADMIN PASSWORD All routers come with a generic username and password. Depending on the model and manufacturer of the router, it’s surprisingly easy to get hold of the username and password. For…

Protecting Yourself Top Ten Encryption Tools for Windows 10 Top Ten Encryption Tools for Windows 10 There’s no shortage of programs that can encrypt files, folders and entire drives for Windows 10. Whilst some are very good indeed, others tend to fall by the wayside by not offering as good a solution. Encryption Galore Here are ten different encryption tools for you to consider that work well with Windows 10, and some previous versions too. Some are free, others cost but they’re all good in their own right. BITLOCKER Available only for users of Windows 10 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro and Enterprise and Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate versions. If you’re running the Home versions, you’ll need to upgrade via the Microsoft site, or from the Windows Store. In short, BitLocker…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery How Does Information Move Around the Internet? How Does Information Move Around the Internet? Before we get into online protection and disaster recovery, it’s worth taking a moment to look at how information moves around the Internet, in particular your information. Just how is data sent from your PC across the Internet, to potentially fall into the hands of someone else? Information Superhighway The Internet is a huge, complex network of computers and is widely credited as humanity’s greatest achievement. It’s estimated that the Internet houses something in the region of 1024 bytes of information, which is quite a lot. That estimated 1024 bytes equates to an exabyte of potential information held by every single connected device that makes up the Internet, some of which is…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery How to Secure Your Devices How to Secure Your Devices Mobile device hacking is on the rise. Most people now carry a phone or tablet around with them all the time, containing their emails, browser data, photos and enough personal information for someone to be interested. Ten Tips for Safer Mobiles Your personal information is worth quite a bit to the right group of people. It’s not just Windows 10 security you need to keep in mind, you need to consider your mobile security too. SECURITY LOCK Locking your device is one of the most basic of security tips for mobile devices. Either use a number code, pattern lock or finger print to lock your device when not in use. Should someone steal it, it becomes…

Advanced Security Tips INDEX Advanced Security Tips If you want to improve your Windows security further, then this section looks at more advanced ways and means in which you can achieve that goal. We cover firewalls, sandboxing and virtual environments and how to tell which programs are communicating beyond your home network. Our easy to follow tutorials will help you create a reliable backup of Windows 10 and all your data, so should something happen you’ll be able to restore your files with confidence.…

Advanced Security Tips Installing VirtualBox Installing VirtualBox Oracle’s VirtualBox is one of the easiest virtual machine platforms for the beginner to experiment on. Within it you can install Windows, Linux and even macOS for sandbox testing, without ever having to alter your main computer’s setup. Going Virtual Using a Virtual Machine (VM) will take resources from your computer: memory, hard drive space, processor usage and so on. So make sure you have enough of each before commencing. STEP 1 The first task is getting hold of VirtualBox. If you haven’t already, head over to www.virtualbox.org and click on the large ‘Download VirtualBox 5.1’ box. This will take you to the main download page. Locate the correct host for your system, Windows or Mac, the Host is the current installed, main operating…

Advanced Security Tips Create a Windows 10 Recovery Drive Create a Windows 10 Recovery Drive Since Windows 95, Microsoft has offered users the ability to create a recovery drive, which is used to help troubleshoot a Windows PC that is failing to boot, by presenting various options. If you haven’t done so yet, you ideally should have created a Windows 10 recovery drive. Time to Recover You need an 8GB USB drive minimum, in order to successfully create a recovery drive. It wipes the contents off the drive and you won’t be able to use it for anything else, so make sure it’s labelled and stored in a safe place. STEP 1 Insert the USB drive into your PC and close the Explorer window that opens upon insertion. Click the Windows…

Advanced Security Tips Extreme Windows 10 Lockdown Tips Extreme Windows 10 Lockdown Tips There are numerous ways and means to greatly improve Windows 10’s security and privacy. Precisely how secure and private you want to get is purely down to you. You can opt for better than average or through these tips below, absolute extreme security. Windows 10 Security: The Paranoid’s Guide If you’re fanatical about securing Windows 10 and locking it down to the point where the NSA would be impressed, then follow these top ten extreme lockdown tips. TIP 1 Let’s begin with the easiest tip, unplug the computer from the Internet. Naturally there are disadvantages to this and you won’t get updates for Windows or programs. However, you certainly won’t get any Internet-borne malware infecting your machine. TIP…

Online Child Protection Children Online: What are the Risks? Children Online: What are the Risks? Every parent or guardian knows that being online represents an entirely new frontier of potential dangers for young children and teens. These dangers come in many forms, with each being capable of greatly affecting the lives of all involved. The risks a child faces when online are tremendous and it’s not just the usual collection of malware that focuses on luring young people into executing it. It’s also the individuals, sites, language used, videos and a whole host of other forms of information and infiltration. These have quickly become the wolf in sheep’s clothing, disguising themselves with the single purpose of catching hold of a child’s online activities. Grooming One of the more prominent modes of luring…

Online Child Protection Online Grooming Online Grooming Of all the many despicable acts and threats that arise on the Internet toward young people, online grooming is undoubtedly one of the worst examples. It’s a tricky act to confirm at times too, as those who groom often cleverly hide their tracks but it is possible to spot signs of it happening. The online part obviously involves the groomer building this emotional connection via chat rooms, online gaming, social media, blogs and even comments sections on popular websites, such as YouTube. The act itself is surprisingly subtle. The groomer first establishes a rapport of some kind, perhaps agreeing with a child on a comment he or she has made regarding something online; let’s use a game as an example. The young person has…

Online Child Protection Top Child Friendly Email Programs and Services Top Child Friendly Email Programs and Services An email account for a child or young person is a great way for them to communicate with friends and family; however, as we’ve seen, it can be a dangerous tool. Therefore it’s best to ensure they’re using a safe, child friendly email account. Ten Child Safe Email Accounts It’s not always easy to police and monitor an email account, so here are ten child friendly email accounts and related services that will help make the job of keeping children safer when communicating via email. ZILLAMAIL ZillaMail is run under the ZillaDog.com brand, created by parents for children. It’s an easy to use, friendly service that also combines child safe online games and links…

Online Child Protection Helping Your Child Through the Internet Helping Your Child Through the Internet The Internet is a vast resource that’s full of amazing details and an equal amount of villainy and inappropriate content. It’s difficult for a child to navigate it by themselves and extremely dangerous; so, as a parent or guardian, we need to make sure they’re safe. Internet Safety for Everyone Together with the excellent advice from the NSPCC, Childline and Safety Net Kids, we’ve collated ten practical and realistic tips to help you and your child remain safe when using the Internet and its connected services. PERSONAL INFORMATION Never post any personal information online. Keep your postal address, email address, phone numbers and, if possible, names away from public viewing. Especially never tell anyone you’ve just…

Online Child Protection Monitoring What’s Going On Monitoring What’s Going On The temptation and lure of the Internet is often a little too much for some people, especially young people who are repeatedly told not to look or go somewhere on it. Tell a young person not to open a box and most will lift the lid when you’re not around. The tech-savvy youngsters of today will already have a better idea of how to circumvent technological restrictions that we’ve put in place. We’re not saying they’re hacking or do anything particularly bad, it’s just that sometimes we need to see what all the fuss is about ourselves, rather than take someone else’s word for it. Here then, are some of the tricks that the modern, digitally capable young person can do…

Online Child Protection Ten Monitoring Tools to Install and Use Ten Monitoring Tools to Install and Use Monitoring tools usually come within a complete Parental Control package. These tools can be dedicated programs, or come as a part of a security suite. Either way, they’re excellent ways to help keep children and young people safe on the Internet. Parental Controls We’ve collated ten of the better parental control and monitoring tools and software, in no particular order. Some offer their software for free, others you need to pay for. QUSTODIO We’ve mentioned Qustodio in the previous page, so it’s a good example to kick of this top ten tools section with. Qustodio is a complete package that monitors, blocks, filters and controls times, games and apps across many different platforms. Pricing…

Further Protection for Young Adults Problems with In-app Spending Problems with In-app Spending The Internet is awash with horror stories from parents who have discovered that their child has spent an impressive sum on a game without their consent or knowledge; but, just how much of a problem is this in-app spending issue? In-app spending is a modern scourge for parents, guardians and even the children and young people themselves. From the point of view of the parent or guardian, we have a child who enjoys playing a game, regardless of whether it’s a mobile game, console game or triple-A rated PC game and we’re more than happy to allow them to play the game without any restrictions, after all it’s just a game, right? However, when those parents then receive the…

Further Protection for Young Adults Online Child Safety at School Online Child Safety at School Whilst you’re doing everything you can at home to ensure your child is safe when online, what happens when they’re out of the protection of your home network? Schools are up against as much, if not more, online safety issues as parents. “Safer Schooling” How does your child’s school provide online safety? What tools and procedures do they use? What government backed schemes are available for them? What’s their policy on cyber bullying and what’s the process should anything inappropriate ever make its way into the school’s network? Most of those questions are dependent on the school itself and what policies it’s created in collaboration with the council, local government, parents, teachers and governing body. In the…

Further Protection for Young Adults What the Experts Say What the Experts Say Our next generation is heading into an ever increasingly connected, digital world. What we perceive as threats now will certainly change in a decade’s time, as the technology surrounding us evolves and becomes even more integrated. What will remain important though, is online safety. “We’ve gathered together quotes and asked child safety and security experts to have their say on the matter of online safety; as a result, here are ten examples from the professionals”…

Digital Security In Numbers Information regarding cyber security doesn’t always have to be technically heavy. In fact, to make it easier to digest, and to just show you how virulent and bitterly hostile computer-borne security threats are, here’s a collection of statistics to give you the heebie-jeebies; all the more reason then to keep this manual close to hand. STOP Over the next year there is a 69% CHANCE you could be HACKED! 80% of all cyber crime attacks originate from Russia, China and North Korea 77 % of small businesses don’t regularly back up important data 75% of the health care industry has been infected with malware.* 73% of US citizens have fallen victim to some form of cyber crime 64 % of companies have experienced web-based attacks 61% of malicious websites…

Modern Day Security Hackers and You Hackers and You We’re probably all familiar with the term ‘hacker’, and what it suggests, but do we really know what a hacker wants from us? More to the point, how are we perceived in the eyes of a hacker? Let’s have a look at what the modern hacker wants from the average user. “You’ve been hacked!” Being on the end of a successful hack has been likened to having your house robbed. There’s a feeling of invasion, that someone has rifled through your personal belongings and stolen what’s yours. WARNING Monetary Motivation As with most hacks the world over, money is the driving force behind an attack. A hacker will want to enter your system through various means and obtain your bank or credit card…

Modern Day Security The Virus Top Ten The Virus Top Ten Viruses are constantly evolving thanks to more ingenious methods of delivery and due to the developers and hackers tweaking their code to sniff out operating system vulnerabilities. It’s difficult to say what the next big virus will be but some scary ones have already appeared on the Internet. “Digital Destruction” Just to give you an idea of what the future could hold for the computing world, here are the top ten most destructive viruses unleashed over the last decade into the digital domain. 1 Storm Worm Storm Worm was released in 2007 and was rumoured to have hailed from Russia. It came in the form of an email link, usually with an important headline to grab the victim’s attention. When the…

Modern Day Security Windows 10 Security Windows 10 Security Microsoft is often accused of developing insecure and ‘broken’ operating systems. However, what the Redmond company delivers is an easy to use system that’s as secure as it can be without compromising its use. It’s a difficult balance to maintain and security can suffer in the long run. “Windows 10 Security Improvements” Security leaks, holes and flaws in development code appear all the time, for every operating system. Windows 10 has the bad luck of being at the top of the security flaw news pile. However, here are ten reasons why it’s actually a secure OS to use. Virtualisation-based Security VBS is an improvement to the core Windows security, it stands for Virtualisation-based Security and uses a mixture of hardware and software…

Protecting Yourself Be Smart Be Smart We’ve looked at some of the many varied ways in which you can be compromised by a digital attacker and some of the ways in which you can help protect yourself. However, it’s often more beneficial to be able to recognise the signs of a digital security issue. Weakest Links In terms of digital security, you’re only as strong as the weakest link in your security chain. You can tick all the security boxes but if you don’t know what to look for in the first place you’re still vulnerable. PASSWORD CHANGE A good sign of a breach in your digital security is the sudden changing of a password. It can be for a random site, webmail or just something small to begin with. Sometimes…

Protecting Yourself Why Updating is Important Why Updating is Important Continual updates, rebooting after an update has been installed, then the inevitable second reboot straight after the first to apply the update: it’s little wonder people stray from the regular update checks. Whilst it can be a pain though, keeping things up to date is a top priority. Update, reboot, update, reboot Updates may well be the bane of the modern computer user but they are there for a reason. It’s not the 8-bit era anymore, we need those updates to help protect our security. Here are 10 reasons why they’re important. PATCH VULNERABILITIES Windows updates patch recognised security holes in the core system. Many of the viruses around today exploit a vulnerability in the Windows code that hasn’t been…

Protecting Yourself How to Secure Your Home Network How to Secure Your Home Network We’ve mentioned previously that an attack doesn’t always come from the other side of the globe but can indeed be a little too close to home at times. Home network hacking is possible with the simplest of tools available on the Internet, often even just tapping into a cable. Network Protection Without being too paranoid, it’s remarkably easy to get into a neighbour’s home network. If you live in a block of flats or you use powerline adapters, you may need to consider these ten steps for better network protection. ROUTER PASSWORD The most common entry point to gain access to your network is via the router. The router from your ISP may well be offering the…

Protecting Yourself What is Encryption? What is Encryption? We’ve mentioned encryption and its impact on your privacy and security, but what exactly is it? The definition of encryption is ‘the process of converting information or data into a code, to prevent unauthorised access’. Kryptos Communications To better understand encryption it’s worth taking a moment to learn about its origins, how it’s been developed over the years and how it applies to our modern communications. The word encryption comes from the ancient Greek word Kryptos, which means hidden or secret. Interestingly, the use of hiding messages from others can be traced back to early Egyptian scribes who inserted non-standard hieroglyphs within other communications in order to hide the message from casual viewers. According to historians the Spartans used strips of leather with…

Protecting Yourself What is a VPN? Your system may be secure to any online threats but it doesn’t always mean your privacy is assured. This is where a VPN comes in, as it offers the user a heightened level of anonymity when online and even another level of security and protection. Virtual Private Network Using a VPN can help hide your online presence. Whilst this may seem like an ideal way to get to illegal content, it’s actually designed to help fight for your basic right to Internet and digital privacy. Essentially, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a server or group of servers in a remote location that you can connect to through a client. The VPN servers then hide your Internet-bound IP address with their own, so if…

Protecting Yourself Using a VPN for Added Security and Privacy Using a VPN for Added Security and Privacy We’ve covered how a VPN works, how it can improve your security and given you a top ten chart of recommended providers but we’ve not looked at how you would set one up and what it’s like when up and running. CyberGhost We’re going to use CyberGhost as the example VPN for this tutorial. You’ll need to purchase one of the available packages to begin with, Premium is £3.74 per month, while Premium Plus is £5.83. STEP 1 We won’t use the free option in this instance, as the paid for services offer a better set of features with which to display the VPN in action. Start by navigating to www.cyberghostvpn.com and clicking…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery How Can Internet Data be Intercepted? How Can Internet Data be Intercepted? We’ve seen how data travels around the Internet in packets and with the help of various protocols that determine its source, destination and what manner of data packet it is. While that’s all well and good, it’s worth knowing how a hacker goes about intercepting that information. The data packets that make up a message, or a string containing a username and password, are sent to and from yours and other computers without most of us ever really knowing what’s going on in the background. It’s this lack of knowledge that’s the hacker’s greatest tool. Well, that and some clever software that’s freely downloadable from the Internet. Let’s look at how data can be…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery What to Avoid when Creating a Password What to Avoid when Creating a Password Creating a strong password sounds easy on paper but when you’re presented with the password box it’s easy to become stumped. Should you get past that part, there are also security rules to follow to further protect that password. PA55W0RD1234 To help you create the perfect password, and secure it further, here are ten tips for happier password management. There’s always password pitfalls but stick to these general tips and you should be okay. OBVIOUS DATES Never use your date of birth, partner’s date of birth, children’s date of birth, pet’s names, family names or even the town where you grew up in. This is all information that can easily be collected…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery Shopping Online and Security Shopping Online and Security Windows 10 is continually improving and as such the new updates have brought a more customisable degree of control over the operating system’s privacy configuration; something that Microsoft has always been criticised for in the past. “10 Online Shopping Security Tips” The length of breadth of online shopping is far too vast to cover every conceivable angle here. So rather than focus on particular elements, here are ten online shopping security tips to apply across the board. FAKE SITES Ensure that you’re buying from a real website. Fake sites are remarkably easy to create by the clever hacker and are designed to steal your transactions. Be wary of sites other than the big names. While smaller online shops…

Advanced Security Tips Windows 10 Privacy Settings Windows 10 Privacy Settings Windows 10’s new updates and special edition updates have brought a more customisable degree of control over the operating system’s privacy configuration; something that Microsoft has always been criticised for in the past. “Going Private” Windows 10 is said to be the last true Windows desktop release, with the Redmond company now opting for a rolling release cycle, that will add or remove features over time through regular updates. There are many advantages to this particular setup. A Windows 10 user will always be up to date with regards to security, options and support. Any new hardware that’s released will be added to the vast driver database that Windows 10 already uses and it will operate at its maximum potential.…

Advanced Security Tips Improving the Windows 10 Firewall Improving the Windows 10 Firewall The built-in Windows 10 firewall is a surprisingly good security application. Whilst it may not be as efficient as something offered by one of the third-party security suites, it’s certainly more than adequate for the average user. Getting to Know Your Firewall Generally, there’s little need to ever configure the Windows 10 firewall. However, getting to know how it works and improving it is part of being more security-conscious. Here’s some tips on how to manage it better. STEP 1 You can open the main Windows 10 firewall console window by clicking on the Windows Start button and entering firewall into the search box. Click the returned link, Windows Firewall Control Panel, to launch it. STEP 2 The…

Advanced Security Tips What is a Sandbox? What is a Sandbox? Sandboxing is an important security technique that’s used by companies and individuals the world over. It’s not something the average user will normally come across but you can guarantee that every piece of software you use has been sandboxed at some point in its development. Playing in the Sand Everyone from software developers and security experts to the hackers themselves will use a sandbox environment to help build and test their products; so what exactly is a sandbox? Just as the name suggests, a sandbox is a place where you can do something without it affecting the surrounding area: visualise a sandbox in the middle of a garden. In digital security terms, this means a sandbox is a tightly controlled…

Advanced Security Tips Installing Windows 10 in VirtualBox Installing Windows 10 in VirtualBox Installing Windows 10 within a VM carries with it a clause: you need to make sure you have a valid license. However, if you’re testing something then you can use the Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation image, which will last for 90 days. Window Installations Naturally you might own a spare Windows 10 license to use for the VM but for this tutorial we’re going for the 90 day Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation model. To begin with, browse to https://microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-10-enterprise. STEP 1 You need to register with Microsoft prior to being able to download the Windows 10 image; simply click the Register button and fill in the required fields. When done, click Continue and choose the ISO Enterprise option,…

Advanced Security Tips How to Back Up Windows 10 How to Back Up Windows 10 Even with the greatest possible cyber protection in the world guarding your computer, there’s still a chance something could go wrong. It might not even be malware-related; a broken hard drive or other component can cause as much grief. Therefore, you need a good backup. Backing Up Computers are unpredictable beasts, so you need to make sure that all your files and important data are securely backed up and more importantly, you’re able to restore them easily. Thankfully, it’s a straightforward process. STEP 1 Windows has, since its early days, featured some form of backup tool. Windows 10 was launched with the File History backup tool, which is a simple to use tool to ensure stable…

Advanced Security Tips Cyber and Windows Quiz Cyber & Windows Quiz Strange as it may sound, being able to answer questions on cyber security helps expand your understanding of the subject. Plus it’s a good way to test your knowledge and see how much you’ve taken in so far from this book. Answer Then, These Questions Ten Ten questions on cyber security and Windows security. They’re not too difficult but enough to make you think and consider the whole aspect of digital security and privacy. Question: 01 Who is it okay to share your passwords with? Question: 02 True or False: when on public Wi-Fi is it safe to send confidential or personal information data? Question: 03 What does the ‘S’ stand for in HTTPS? Question: 04 What is two-factor (or two-step)…

Online Child Protection Social Media & Children Social Media and Children The impact of social media on children has been the subject of numerous reports over the last few years. With more and more children and young people gaining access to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and so on, there’s a growing concern as to how it’s affecting online safety. Any site or portal where some form of social interaction occurs can be classed as social media, so even if you don’t allow your children access to Facebook et al, there’s still a chance they’re in contact via gaming or an app of some description: YouTube, blogs and so on. Reports from the American Academy of Paediatrics has found that using social media does provide benefits for young people. According to findings, regular…

Online Child Protection How Safe are the Sites Your Child Can Access? How Safe are the Sites Your Child Can Access? Mobile operator O2, YouGov and the NSPCC have teamed up with Net Aware to create a site that reviews popular sites and apps that children and young people use. This guide allows parents and guardians to view the information to help them understand their child’s online world. Net Aware Net Aware is an excellent site, and can be found at https://net-aware.org.uk/. Within you can find an A to Z of Most Popular sites and how safe they actually are according to face icons. Here are ten of the popular choices with their safety information. FACEBOOK AND MESSENGER Facebook has gone to great lengths in recent years to ensure a higher…

Online Child Protection Cyberbullying Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is when someone uses the Internet, email, online gaming, social media and any other kind of digital platform to threaten, tease, humiliate or upset someone else. Both the bully and the victim of the bullying can be any age, from very young children up to late teens, and beyond in some cases. The source of the bullying can come from others the victim knows at school or college, or from a complete stranger on the other side of the world. Bullying someone online doesn’t always involve threating remarks. What may seem like a playful comment on one side, could be taken as a cutting jibe on the other. It’s not always an easy thing to specify, as we all have moments when we may say…

Online Child Protection Your Child and Online Gaming, is it Safe? Your Child and Online Gaming, is it Safe? Gaming has taken some interesting leaps in technology since the days of feeding money into the arcade cabinets. However, with those advances comes a new level of online concerns for parents and guardians. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with gaming or online gaming. Despite the many years of people bemoaning that gaming is taking away something from a childhood, recent studies have actually shown that online gaming can increase social skills, help develop hand-to-eye coordination and, depending on the game, have educational benefits and help young people learn. The problem is that not everyone always plays fair; some take great offence when they’ve been beaten by another player, resulting in the person…

Online Child Protection Monitoring Online Activity for Non-Technical Guardians Monitoring Online Activity for Non-Technical Guardians There’s a vast difference between monitoring a child’s online activity and actively spying on everything they do. In monitoring, you’re making sure that they aren’t being scammed, downloading anything illegal and generally behaving themselves online. Non-Technical Tips for Monitoring There are numerous ways to monitor a child’s online safety but a lot of them can be quite technical. Instead, here are ten tips for those who aren’t as computer literate but still want to help keep a child safe online. DEFINE RULES First off, set some rules. Don’t use the Internet alone in your room, don’t chat with anyone online, don’t enter your full name or address online, don’t click on any links, don’t open any…

Online Child Protection Using the Windows Hosts File to Block Sites Using the Windows Hosts File to Block Sites The Hosts file is used by the operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. It’s a historical file that’s used by Windows to signpost internal and external websites, and other such networking services. You can use it to your advantage though. The Perfect Host The Hosts file is simply a plain text file for mapping network locations and is checked by Windows to see if there’s an entry whenever the user requests access to a website or network resource. Here’s how to block websites using it. STEP 1 First you need to open the Hosts file with administrative access. To do this, click on the Windows Start button and type notepad.…

Further Protection for Young Adults Creating a Child Account in Windows 10 Creating a Child Account in Windows 10 If you’re sharing a Windows 10 computer with your children, or they have one for themselves, then setting them up with their own account will work better for you both in the long run. A Windows 10 child’s account gives them freedom, and you can set up certain restrictions. Windows 10 for Children With a Windows 10 child account you’re able to set up age restrictions, time limits and ensure they’re not visiting sites or using apps they shouldn’t. STEP 1 Start off by clicking the Windows Start button and typing ‘account’. The first result that should appear is Manage your account, if anything else appears, maybe you have some work labelled…

Modern Day Security INDEX Modern Day Security The start of the digital age brought with it many advances in the way we work and interact with each other. It’s estimated there’s 1.2 Zettabytes (1.3 trillion gigabytes) of data available to someone with access to the Internet and whilst most of it may be irrelevant, what’s important to you is somewhere within that mass of raw information. Sadly, the cold hard light of day reveals that with the growth of this voluminous data comes the nefarious acts of those who wish to cause mayhem, panic, theft and other such negative elements. Therefore, as a user you need to make sure that you’re protected against the ever increasing digital world of threats, viruses and everything else the Internet has to offer. This…

Modern Day Security Social Engineering Social Engineering With the rise of wider forms of communication, through social media and so on, comes a new wave of threats called social engineering. There are many forms of social engineering, so let’s have a look at what you’re up against, and how to combat it. Social engineering is the new modern way of manipulating people to give up their personal and confidential information. It comes in many guises and under different sub-headings, such as Phishing and the like, but it’s essentially all a form of social engineering. Essentially, the scammer will take your human nature and responses and turn it against you for their own gain. The kind of information the scammer is after does vary, depending on the type of scam being used,…

Modern Day Security Digital Security FAQ Digital Security FAQ Whilst it’s all fine and well learning about the different security risks you face every time you boot up your computer, often questions can go unanswered. We’ve put together ten popular digital security questions that we hope will help fill in any blanks. Understanding Security Trying to understand the digital security world can be hard work. There’s so much to take in, that it’s easy to become lost in the quagmire of acronyms and homophones. Hopefully we can help you out with these ten FAQs. “Do I need an antivirus program?” Without a doubt, yes. Windows 10 uses the built-in Windows Defender program to help protect you online. It’s more than ample for most users but often better security is required. “Viruses…

Protecting Yourself Top Ten Antivirus and Security Packages Top Ten Antivirus and Security Packages While the built-in Windows Defender is a great antivirus and security tool, it’s nowhere near as capable as one of the many third-party security suites. The likes of Bitdefender, McAfee and Symantec have years of security specialism behind their products. Better Protection A third-party security suite offers much than virus scanning. With one of these, you’re covered against most, if not all, digital threats. Here are ten security suites worth considering if you’re serious about your digital protection. BITDEFENDER Bitdefender Total Security 2019 is the latest security suite from one of the world’s leading security specialists. This version offers unrivalled levels of protection and performance for Windows, macOS and Android platforms. There’s even an advanced ransomware protection…

Protecting Yourself What to Keep Updated and How What to Keep Updated and How Discussing updates is one thing but how do you go about making sure that you have the latest updates and that all the necessary components are being updated correctly? Thanks to the improved update process of Windows 10, this is surprisingly easy. Keeping Up To Date Whilst it’s easy to update Windows 10, there are elements that can be missed. We’ve already mentioned that it’s not only Windows that needs updating but also software and drivers. STEP 1 The first port of call is undoubtedly Windows Update. Click on the Windows Start button followed by Settings, the cog icon just above the power icon on the strip to the side. This will open the Windows Settings interface,…

Protecting Yourself What are Wireless Security Standards? What are Wireless Security Standards? Wireless security has adhered to a number of standards since 1999, each improving over the last due to the ability for a then-modern computer to hack the security levels behind them. Tighter controls are needed as computers and the way they connect have become increasingly more complex. WEP, WPA, WPA2, IEEE… Amid the confusing acronyms lies a logical progression of wireless encryption and security protocols. Whilst at first they seem bewildering, it’s quite interesting to learn of their history. The technology behind delivering a wireless network has evolved over the last couple of decades and so has the ways and means in which to secure it all. It’s not just simply down to choosing a password that no one…

Protecting Yourself Encrypting Your Windows 10 Laptop Encrypting Your Windows 10 Laptop Windows 10 Pro comes with Microsoft’s BitLocker program to encrypt the file system; however, Windows 10 Home versions do not have this feature. Thankfully there are many encryption programs available for download, we’re using DiskCryptor in this tutorial. Windows 10, Under Lock and Key We’re going to encrypt a 2GB USB flash in this example, purely for ease of use and to demonstrate how you can encrypt your entire laptop hard drive(s). STEP 1 Encryption doesn’t affect the core data, other than making it impossible to read without the decryption key but it’s always worth making sure you have a backup of all your data prior to any system related changes. If you store your work or data in…

Protecting Yourself How Can a VPN Improve Windows Security? How Can a VPN Improve Windows Security? We’ve emphasised the enhanced privacy that a VPN offers when you’re connected to its services, and the heightened levels of anonymity, but what security benefits does a VPN bring to a Windows 10 computer with an antivirus program already installed? Security Beyond Anonymity It’s a good question: how can a VPN improve Windows security? Whilst the privacy side is well catered for, there are some good security enhancements and features a VPN brings to the table. BROWSING ACTIVITY This doesn’t happen often but an ISP can become compromised and details of user activities leaked or stolen. Using a VPN can hide your browsing activity from trackers and even your ISP, enabling you to browse with…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery INDEX Online Protection and Disaster Recovery While you can successfully protect yourself and your own computer, as soon as you make a connection to the outside world you’re under the influence of many external factors. We look at how data is transmitted from your computer to the Internet and how a canny hacker can intercept that data for their own means. Over the coming pages you’ll discover how best to protect yourself and what strategies you can use to become more secure when online; even when you’re out and about with your Windows 10 laptop and other devices.…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery 10 Tips to Protect Yourself Against Interception 10 Tips to Protect Yourself Against Interception While it may seem like fearmongering, detailing the ways in which data can be intercepted, it’s sadly a real world fact. Public Wi-Fi, hotspots and free access points are the bane of the security industry. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can protect yourself. Public Safety Despite the different and varied ways a hacker can gain access to your inbound and outbound data, there are means in which you can defend yourself. Here are ten tips to help you protect your data from being intercepted. TIP 1 Not all public Wi-Fi access points are havens for nefarious hackers but that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Every security software…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery Password Generators and Tools Password Generators and Tools We’ve looked at some tips on what not to include when coming up with a strong password. However, it’s not always as straight forward as that. Whilst some can come up with an elaborate and incredibly strong password, others struggle. Thankfully, there’s help on offer. Top Ten Password Generators We live in an age where you don’t have to sit with a dictionary and cryptic decoder to come up with an excellent password. There are many generators freely available to help you out. Here’s our top ten. NORTON IDENTITY SAFE PASSWORD GENERATOR Norton by Symantec, offers a handy free password online generator. You can set the password length, include letters, mixed case, numbers, punctuation and no identical characters.…

Online Protection and Disaster Recovery How to Remove a Virus or Malware from a Windows PC How to Remove a Virus or Malware from a Windows PC So far we’ve looked at ways to prevent getting scammed or indeed getting malware on your system but what if you’re unlucky enough to already have some form of digital infection? Thankfully, there’s a way to remove malware and viruses from your computer. Malware Busters For this tutorial let’s use a preconfigured rescue disk from Bitdefender. You need to transfer, or burn, the disk contents to a CD or a USB stick and boot into the safe environment through one of those mediums. STEP 1 Make sure you have a blank CD or a USB stick that’s at least 1GB in size. The Bitdefender…

Advanced Security Tips How to Check which Apps are Sending Information How to Check which Apps are Sending Information Most Windows 10 apps and programs have some element of code that will attempt to communicate with an external source. That communication could be to check for the latest version, or patches and updates, or it could be malicious software sending personal data. Look Who’s Talking There are a number of ways in which you’re able to view which programs and apps are sending data to Internet and external sources. Some methods are better than others, so it’s worth trying them all to see which works best for you. STEP 1 The first port of call to help monitor what apps are accessing the Internet is Task Manager. Click the Windows Start…

Advanced Security Tips Running Windows 10 as a Sandbox Running Windows 10 as a Sandbox We’ve already talked about how a sandbox works and essentially what one is in terms of computing and security. However there are many advantages to creating your own virtual sandbox environment. It’s not always purely to test suspicious code, as you’ll soon discover. Sand Between Your Toes If you’re still convinced that a sandbox environment can help you out, then read on. We’ve compiled a list of ten reasons why creating your own Windows 10 sandbox is beneficial to the average user. OLD PROGRAMS Within the Windows 10 virtual sandbox environment you may be able to run older programs that would normally fail, even in compatibility mode, under more modern hardware drivers. Often an older program…

Advanced Security Tips Creating VirtualBox Snapshots of Windows 10 Creating VirtualBox Snapshots of Windows 10 One day the testing process of a Windows 10 VM will inevitably leave the system in a broken or malware riddled state. You can wipe it and start again but a far better solution is to create snapshots, so you can easily revert to a previous build. Take a Snapshot Setting up Windows 10, installing the drivers, updates and programs takes a fair amount of time. If you take a VirtualBox snapshot, you can return to where you left off in an instant. STEP 1 To begin with open VirtualBox. If it’s already open, shutdown the Windows 10 VirtualBox image you created. It’s not necessary but it’s often easier, to ensure the VM is closed prior…

Advanced Security Tips How to Create a Windows 10 System Image How to Create a Windows 10 System Image Backing up your files is perfectly fine but in the event of having to wipe your hard drive and start again, getting everything back in order can be time consuming. However, creating a system image means you can almost instantly restore the entire system without needing to rebuild Windows. System Imaging A system image works in much the same way as the VirtualBox Snapshots. You’re essentially taking a snapshot of your entire system, which can then be restored quickly. Saving you having to reinstall Windows 10, all your programs and data. STEP 1 To begin, click on the Windows Start button and once more navigate to Settings > Update & Security >…

Advanced Security Tips What the Experts Say What the Experts Say Amongst the many quotes from security experts of the modern digital age, some stand out as either remarkably fortuitous or simply worth mentioning. We’ve compiled ten top quotes from the security world, that both entertain and make you think. “Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping tom to install your window blinds”…

Online Child Protection Search Engine Safety Search Engine Safety The search engine is the portal into the wider Internet and through it we can view everything from man’s first steps on the moon, to extremist group propaganda videos. It’s therefore paramount that children are aware of the dangers of the search engine. “Safer Searching” While the Google search portal isn’t dangerous in itself, it’s what potentially lies behind the search entered that makes it such a dangerous place for young people to venture into. Many young people are somewhat more tech-savvy than most adults but the younger children are at risk from a seemingly innocent search resulting in inappropriate content being displayed. It doesn’t take much imagination to consider how a particular scenario may be played out. A child is left…

Online Child Protection Email and Child Safety Email & Child Safety We’re often so concerned over social media, online gaming and chat sites that we tend to ignore one of the most common threats to online safety for young people and children, email. While it’s a more manageable element, it does carry plenty of dangerous potential. In reality it doesn’t take too much of a technical genius to enter into a search engine, “fake email accounts” or something similar. The returned results, such as Fake Email Generator, Mailinator, ThrowAwayMail and FakeInbox are all designed to help you create a fake account that can either be single use or used regularly. This of course means that a person is able to create a false persona and sign up for Facebook and the like using…

Online Child Protection How to Prevent and Deal with Cyberbullying How to Prevent and Deal with Cyberbullying We will never be able to truly stop cyberbullying, or any other form of bullying, from happening, as there will always be those who want to cause harm to others. However, we can take steps to prevent its effects, cope and deal with it. “Coping with Cyberbullying” Coping with face-to-face bullying can usually stop when the victim is home or at a place where they feel safe. On the other hand it often feels like there’s no escape from cyberbullying as the online world is always present, and even when you cut yourself off from any online activities, the bullying still continues. The level of how upset a victim of cyberbullying feels depends greatly…

Online Child Protection Staying Safe when Gaming Online – Advice for Your Child Staying Safe when Gaming Online – Advice for Your Child We’ve looked at the safety concerns of online gaming but what can we as parents and guardians do to help keep our young gamers safe? Thankfully, it’s nothing too drastic, just a little common sense and a few tips to help out. Game On Here are ten tips to help the young gamer get the best from their game of choice, whilst still remaining safe; also how to avoid any conflicts that may arise from the gaming community. INVOLVED PARENTS Parents, take an interest in the online games that your child plays. See what type of game it is and especially see what the online community is like.…

Online Child Protection Tips for Technical Guardians to Monitor a Child’s Online Activity Tips for Technical Guardians to Monitor a Child’s Online Activity For those parents and guardians who are more technically minded, there’s a wealth of software and features available that enable you to monitor your child’s Internet activities. Some are simple solutions, others require a little more work, it depends what you’re looking for. Ten Steps for Tech Minded Guardians As a technically minded parent or guardian, you can monitor traffic, set up batch files to send daily connection reports and fiddle with the inner workings of your router. Here are ten tips to help you out. ROUTER LOGS Depending on the router you own, either one you’ve bought or the ISP-provided one, there’s often a way to log…

Further Protection for Young Adults Windows 10 Family Features Windows 10 Family Features Microsoft’s Family portal is a continually updating service that allows you to monitor, control and share features across Windows machines and Xbox consoles. It’s designed to help share calendars, set screen times for games and set up safe browsing. Happy Families The Microsoft Family portal is where you’re able to set the various features. First, you need to browse to https://account.microsoft.com to login with your MS account. STEP 1 When you’ve logged in to the Microsoft account online, click on the Family link found along the top set of menu options. This will display the current members of your Microsoft account, adults and any children you’ve added, as per the previous tutorial. STEP 2 Under the child account…

Further Protection for Young Adults Tips on How to Stop In-app Overspending Tips on How to Stop In-app Overspending In-app overspending, as we’ve seen, is a concern for parents and guardians whenever their children use a phone, tablet, console or computer. However, there is a happy middle ground, where the kids can still enjoy their game and the parents needn’t worry about in-app purchases. 10 Tips to Stop In-app Purchases There’s nothing wrong with spending money on a game, either to buy it in the first place or just to upgrade a part of it. What’s needed though, is a little thought to combat overspending. TIP 1 The main tip, and one that all child experts agree on, is simply don’t leave your child alone with a device, console or…

Further Protection for Young Adults Where to Find Help with Online Child Safety Where to Find Help with Online Child Safety The tips and features throughout this book will help you build a better understanding of security and online safety, with special reference to online child safety. If you want to know more though, or you have some pressing questions that need answering, here are some places to check out. Help is at Hand For more information, expert advice from child care professionals and more tips on how to protect your child when online, here are ten sites to bookmark and consider. TIP 1 If you’d rather contact a professional child care expert, person to person, then consider contacting your local doctor’s surgery and asking for a list of contact details…