Cybersecurity also in the return to school

This year 2020 is being anything but normal. The holidays are over and cybersecurity begins when back to school, but with a new companion, COVID-19. The pandemic that began in March seems to be intensifying with new outbreaks and makes us think that the new school year could return to the online modality as a step to the end of the last year.

Bearing in mind that our children are going to be more connected than ever, it is a good time to start having safe digital habits since, as I mentioned in another article, this year is being characterized by the number of attacks and cybercrimes that are being carried out.

We start with the basics, nowadays, many of us buy online, it is more convenient, you avoid queues and waiting and you have it at home in a few days, but you have to be cautious, since sometimes we get carried away by the offers and end up in unsafe pages and can lead us astray. We must look at the address bar and check that the web address begins with “https” and that it is a secure site, either because the browser tells us so or by viewing the information on the page from the “lock” that appears next to her.

Do not make purchases from public Wi-Fi networks since they are not secure as we mentioned. here. If we cannot connect to a secure network and it is urgent, it is preferable to use our mobile data to make the purchase.

Use strong and different passwords for each application or service. Mixing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, are some examples of how to create a good anti-hacker password.

Use parental controls. It is a very good tool that helps us control the time our children spend online. In fact, we can limit their time and block inappropriate content. With it we can also check what content our son visits and even what YouTube videos he has visited. It is a very useful tool that we must familiarize ourselves with.

Talk to your children about the dangers of the “net” and social networks. Talk to them, listen to them and explain to them that the internet is not a safe place and that you have to be especially careful when using social networks and instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. They must be made to understand that there is no race to get followers or any prizes and that publications can affect academic performance, self-esteem and mental health.

And finally, we must be more informed than ever, the situation we are going through must make us more alert than ever, we must obtain information from official sources of information to be aware of cybercrimes and take advantage of the opportunity presented to us to educate and improve the digital security of the little ones.