It is a shame that our phones and computers are always subject to malicious attacks that can open the door to cyber-attacks. There is no shortage of scammers out there who have made it their life’s mission to steal your data and access your banking information. On top of cyber threat prevention, there is another topic to tackle. That is the access our children have to the internet. There is an increase in the number of cyber attacks resulting from children being tricked by cyber thieves.
Anti-Virus Software
Have you been sitting there running the free version of an anti-virus, meaning to update it year after year? It is surprising how many people rely on only basic cyber threat prevention even with current news consistently mentioning the speedy advance of Artificiall Intelligence. AI will mean malware and trojan horses will become more advanced and free software just won’t cut it in the future. The moral of this story is to always make sure you have a paid anti-virus protection app on your smartphone and other devices.
Most cybersecurity software solutions will allow you to purchase a monthly or yearly subscription that allows you to secure multiple devices. You can also pay a little extra to add additional devices so you can add cyber security for everyone in your family.
Regular Operating System Updates
Those pesky Windows updates or smartphone system updates that require you to restart your device are an annoyance for all of us. The same applies to application updates for apps on your mobile or desktop devices. Most of us want to open our devices and get on with the tasks we have planned.
Yet, leaving apps and operating systems in a state of pending updates opens up your device to security threats. The moral of this story is to always ensure updates for apps and operating systems are always up to date to maxmise your systems’ security protection.
Teaching Kids About Cyber Security
An often overlooked topic is teaching children about how to remain safe when surfing the net One thing you can do is warn your children not to download apps from untrustworthy sources. A common scam is for cyber thieves to target children’s apps like Discord. It is a cruel world out there, and cyber thieves will use any dishonest tactic, even if that means using children to gain access to your home network and devices.
The cyber thief will create hype about a game and lure your kids into following instructions to download the game via a link. In reality, your child is downloading a game that gives the cyber third a backdoor into your WiFi router. From here, cyber thieves will try to access other devices on your network to steal personal data and sometimes even hack financial accounts.
Parental Control Apps
Where there is an angle for cyber attackers to hack your systems, there is always a company out there that is on top of it.
Parental control apps are a good option if you are worried about the sites your children are visiting or the apps they are downloading.
You will find the top parental apps, such as those advertised on sites like Impulsec that come with built-in anti-virus, and you can install the software on your child’s smartphone, tablet, and desktop devices.
How You Can Make Sure You Are Security Conscious
Follow the basics outlined in this guide. Parental control tools can help ensure your children are not accessing sites or apps that are unsafe or built for specific reasons of hacking your system. Of course, other basics include using anti-virus software and keeping it up to date. And make sure you keep your operating systems and apps updated. They are annoying, we know, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.