Children online: how to ensure the cyber safety of the most vulnerable users

The problem with young users of smartphones, tablets, and other internet-enabled devices is not only that children may accidentally see, read, or download something inappropriate for their age, but also that due to their limited life experience and knowledge, they are very vulnerable to the actions of malicious actors. Worse still, children can become not only victims but also tools for fraudsters. What can be done about this?

Parents can definitely ensure digital safety for their children (and thus for the whole family). The safest approach is to apply a comprehensive strategy that combines educational elements with software tools; this way, there is a chance to protect children from cyber threats while allowing them to enjoy all the benefits of the digital world. Below, we will provide several recommendations to help you minimize risks. But first, let's examine what exactly can threaten a child online.

What risks exist

According to statistics, by the age of 10, nearly every child (91%) living in a major city in Russia already has their own gadget—a smartphone or tablet. For children, this is a tool for communication, entertainment, and study, while parents are often driven by concerns for safety, as a child with a smartphone is always connected and can be located through geolocation.

At the same time, a smartphone or tablet is a loophole for cybercriminals of all kinds. For example, for identity thieves who are eager to steal electronic information about the child. In the U.S., the scale of fraud using children's personal data amounts to billions of dollars: criminals use 'clean' digital identities to open multiple lines of credit at once.

Another risk area is unacceptable content that children see and share. And this is not just about violence or sexual scenes: even sharing their own photos can be dangerous for children.

However, this is far from everything: the arsenal of internet fraudsters is much broader. Let's consider some of the most typical scenarios of cybercrime.

• ‘Smart’ home. More and more families are using internet-connected devices at home: smart doorbells, internet-connected baby monitors, surveillance cameras, and other devices. But what happens if criminals gain access to them by hacking into the network through children's devices? One frightened American couple found out the answer to this question, when a criminal hacked the devices in their home and pretended to kidnap their son. Thieves can also use hacked devices for 'scouting' the house before a burglary.
• School Wi-Fi. Nowadays, you can access the internet in almost any school, at least abroad, but is it safe? Hackers can easily crack passwords and gain access to school networks. If the traffic is not protected and encrypted, it becomes vulnerable to MITM attacks, during which criminals can intercept personal confidential information from any child.
• Free public Wi-Fi. Parks, fast-food restaurants, and other public spaces with free Wi-Fi are a true lure for teenagers who enjoy hanging out in such places after (or instead of) classes. Hackers know this and exploit public hotspots for MITM attacks and data theft — it’s even easier than hacking school Wi-Fi.
• Inappropriate content. Curiosity is a natural trait of any child, but it can lead them to places better avoided until a certain age. The internet is full of resources providing 18+ content 'without registration or SMS.' You don't even have to venture into the depths of the internet to stumble upon such content. Take the case of Wi-Fi hacking in the Moscow subway, where instead of the usual landing page, everyone (including children) was shown outright pornography. Additionally, unacceptable content often comes bundled with malware.
• Questionable apps and viruses. You can pick up viral software not only on 'adult' sites. Malicious code can also be embedded in ordinary applications downloaded from P2P sites or even from Google Play, which children also use.
• Phishing emails. More than 90% of cyber threats detected by Trend Micro In the first half of 2019, emails were received. Phishing messages often disguise themselves as official letters or even come from acquaintances whose accounts have been hacked, making it not always easy for adults to recognize them. Opening such an email can download unpleasant software onto one's device that will steal important information or demand money.
• Sextortion — blackmail with sexual content. Modern children are as technically savvy as their parents, but compared to adults, they are much more trusting and vulnerable. They can easily be misled, which sex extorters take advantage of. They deceive teenagers, claiming to have recorded them in compromising situations right through their webcams and demand money, threatening to spread damaging content. Since the end of 2018, the number of such crimes has quadrupled.
• Excessive sharing of information on social media. Critical thinking is not the strongest point for teenagers, so they are not always discerning in their relationships. Kids do not think about whom they are 'friends' with, how much information they share, and what excessive openness on social media can lead to. The consequences can vary widely — from minor embarrassment to massive online bullying and even offline harassment, as recently occurred in Penza.
• Sexting, or the exchange of sexual messages and photos, is considered quite normal among many teenagers. However, such actions can have serious psychological consequences and draw attention from authorities. And, of course, this content can become a source of trouble if it falls into the hands of fraudsters.

So what should we do?

It is important to start with a thoughtful conversation with the child: share your concerns, discuss unsafe behaviors, and provide some advice that can help them stay safe. It is also essential not to go overboard, showing the child that your actions are driven by worry and the desire to protect them, rather than a desire to control their life.

Here are a few tips:

1. teach children to think before clicking any buttons or links, especially in emails;
2. Install quality antivirus software from trusted companies on all children's devices;
3. Find and install software that can check and update privacy settings on social networks;
4. Advise children to download apps only from official stores and avoid dubious P2P sources;
5. Set up parental control software: with it, you can block inappropriate content and suspicious apps, as well as limit screen time;
6. Teach children to be mindful of the content they share on social media and to choose their online friends carefully;
7. Discuss sexting with teenagers and the consequences it can lead to;
8. Inform children that public and school Wi-Fi may be unsafe, and teach them to connect through a secure VPN channel.

The following software may be required:

• A parental control program that offers screen time restrictions, website and app blocking, as well as protection for smart home devices (for instance, AiProtection in ASUS Wi-Fi routers, or similar security features developed by Trend Micro for home router manufacturers like TP-Link, Linksys, etc.);
• A tool to protect against phishing emails and websites that steal personal data, and to minimize information sharing on social media (for example, Trend Micro Security can do this);
• A protection tool for smartphones and tablets against email and web threats, as well as malware hidden in apps (this is managed in our portfolio, among other things, by Trend Micro Mobile Security);
• A password manager to help children (and adults) create complex passwords and store them securely — even if one of the children's accounts is hacked, the others will remain protected (see Trend Micro Password Manager);
• A VPN channel with bank-level encryption, ensuring security when connecting to unsafe public Wi-Fi (for this, we offer Trend Micro Wi-Fi Protection supporting Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android).

Source: habr.com