Searching for celebrities online could be risky business for high schoolers.
When teens search for famous figures like musicians Usher, Luke Bryan and producer Armin van Buuren, they might end up on sites with viruses and malware — putting a user’s personal information at risk — according to Intel Security’s recently released list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for online.
Protecting personal devices and information is one part of cybersecurity, says Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, which primarily focuses on cybersecurity education awareness. Defending government networks is another aspect of the field.
“Cybersecurity is putting the pieces in place that protect you so that you can actually do more things online,” he says. Good security enables users — it doesn’t stop them, Kaiser says.
[Learn four questions parents should ask about student data security.]
Some teens are being introduced to the field of cybersecurity through camps, classes and after-school programs.
At Harford Technical High School in Bel Air, Maryland, for example, students can participate in a four-year cybersecurity program. Students learn about malware, viruses, social engineering and data security, among other topics, and can earn industry certifications, says Joseph Fetters, a cybersecurity instructor at the school.
Security issues related to breached data make headline news almost every day, he says, making cybersecurity a relevant topic to his students and a viable career path.
In California, teens at North Hollywood High School have learned about cybersecurity through an after-school program and competed against other groups in a national competition, the Los Angeles Daily News reported earlier this year.
And cybersecurity summer camps are another way teens are being introduced to the field.
While these programs expose teens to the ins and outs of the burgeoning cybersecurity industry, other teens might not know the basics of keeping their information secure online.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and a good time for teens to improve their Internet safety and security skills by engaging in the following best practices. Parents and teachers can help — and might want to adopt these practices themselves.
[Find out how to talk to teens about being responsible on social media.]
— Keep a clean machine: Teens need to ensure they keep their Internet-connected devices, like laptops, phones and tablets, from becoming affected with malware, says Kaiser, of the NCSA. Users should make sure software of operating systems is up-to-date. They should also make sure security software that updates automatically is installed on devices.
— Manage mobile apps: Users should keep apps on their mobile devices updated, since updates often have security fixes in them, he says. Deleting apps users no longer use is also a good idea, he says.
— Enable multi-factor authentication for email accounts: Email is the gateway to almost every other account a user may have, Kaiser says. When someone loses or forgets an account password, the reset is sent to his or her email.
Kaiser suggests email users set up multi-factor authentication, which means more than just a password is required for access; a code may be sent via text message that a user must also input for access, for example. It’s something most major email providers offer, Kaiser says.
— Create a better password: “If their password is their dog, if their password is the school they go to, if their password is their best friend, they know that that’s a bad password and so when they have to use passwords, they should just make it better, that’s all I’m asking,” says Kaiser. Add some capital letters, put a number in or add something else that makes the password stronger and more complex.
Just like with learning how to drive, teens need to take care when they learn to use the Internet, Kaiser says.
“You are going to learn how to drive as a young person and then you are going to drive for the rest of your life,” he says. “It’s going to be on you to do that as safely and securely as possible when you are out on the road — and the same can be true on the Internet.”
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How to Teach Teens About Cybersecurity originally appeared on usnews.com
