Safety

Bullying is Kids’ Biggest Online Risk

February 24, 2009

A recent report from the Internet Safety Technical Task Force concludes that kids and teens are safer online than many have feared. The report also concluded that the biggest risk kids face online is bullying by other kids. For more on the report, read Larry Magid’s summary at CNET news.

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Can My Camera Get a Virus?

December 31, 2008

As with any computer media, it is possible for your camera memory card to get infected with a computer virus if you connect your camera or your memory card to an infected computer at a friend or relative’s house. When you return home, it is then possible to infect your own computer by attaching the [...]

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Where to Learn About Common Internet Schemes

July 15, 2008

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, is a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. They accept online Internet crime complaints, offer tips on how to protect yourself, and explain ongoing illegal Internet schemes. For example, the Nigerian Letter is also known as [...]

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How to Choose an Anti-Virus Program

May 27, 2008

When choosing an anti-virus program for Windows, the independent Virus Bulletin’s testing and review program provides invaluable information about which programs pass muster. The top 100 antivirus programs (along with those that didn’t make it) are found in this VB100 summary ( . To view the test results, you will need to register. Registration is [...]

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Federal Website Guards Against Internet Fraud

March 18, 2008

OnGuardOnline.gov is a federal website with practical tips on securing your computer and guarding against Internet fraud. Information is delivered with videos, tutorials, and games designed to test and expand your knowledge. Topics include laptop security, social networking, malware, identity theft and much more.

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How to Find a Lost USB Thumb Drive

January 22, 2008

As handy as USB thumb drives can be, their small size makes them easy to lose. Tim Fehlman, of Daily Cup of Tech, has worried about the possibility and come up with a clever solution. He explains how to install an auto-executing program that will automatically pop open a “Send Me Home” message if your [...]

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Play an Anti-Phishing Game

November 26, 2007

Computer scientists at Carnegie-Mellon University have found using games to educate users about phishing scams is more effective than expecting us to read security manuals. As part of their research, they developed Anti-Phishing Phil, an interactive game that explains how to spot phishing cues in emails, and when to use search engines to find legitimate [...]

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Best Defense Against Phishing

November 7, 2007

The best defense against spoof (fake or phishing) emails is to be educated and informed about how to spot them. eBay has a good tutorial on how to protect yourself, as does Stop-Phishing.com from the University of Indiana. Number one tip: when visiting a site in response to an email that asks for some web [...]

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E-Card Spam

July 31, 2007

In recent months, e-card spam infected with a virulent computer worm has increased. How do you tell the difference between a valid e-card and a virus? Never open a greeting card sent from an unnamed friend, neighbor, classmate, schoolmate, partner or family member. Two things to look for are whether you know the sender, and [...]

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NetSmartz Workshop

July 9, 2007

The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, online safety resource for kids, teens, parents, educators, and law enforcement. Created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, NetSmartz uses video and downloadable, printable activity cards to teach Internet safety to kids of all ages.

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