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Jack Skinner

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Keep Kids Safe Online

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Learn the technology.

As parents, your primary goal is to protect your children. and, in today’s digital world, that means understanding the technology they use. Kids are growing up in a connected world, often with access to the internet, apps, and social media from a young age. Without proper guidance, they can be exposed to online dangers like cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and privacy risks.

Learn the apps that they use.

Look them up on the app store. What is it? Why do they have it?

It’s crucial for you to stay informed about the technology your kids use. Many apps and platforms can easily deceive parents, with some vault apps even disguising themselves as harmless tools like calculators or camera apps. Without understanding the technology, you may not recognize the potential risks or hidden dangers lurking on your child’s device.

Know what your kids are doing.

Trust but verify! Randomly check your children’s devices. Know their passwords. If your child wants social media, and you have approved it, require that you know their passwords and that you are ‘connected’ and they are only to add people they know (i.e. family and actual friends). Communicate openly and often. Also remember that you can’t control everything! Sign a family safety contract and teach them what to do if they’re ever in an uncomfortable situation.

You can use the family safety contract here www.carlyryanfoundation.com/resources/online-safety-contract or create your own.

Preparing a device for your kids

  1. Setup Email address: You may not want to give your child email access, but an email account will be needed for steps below and it is recommended that you set up an account for them that is privacy based and that you have access to. recommended options are Proton.me or Tutanota.
  2. Setup a Password Manager: On-device password management is convenient, but usually doesn’t work well for accessing on other types of devices and for being accessed by yourself. Setting up a device agnostic password management application and sharing access with yourself is recommended. Recommended options are BitWarden, Dashlane, and 1Password.
  3. Set Up Family Management Tools: Begin by configuring parental control tools provided by major technology platforms. For Google devices, use Google Family Link; for Microsoft devices, use Microsoft Family Safety; and for Apple devices, use Apple Screen Time. These tools allow you to monitor and manage your child’s device usage, set screen time limits, and approve or block apps.
  4. Install Monitoring Apps: Enhance your oversight by installing additional monitoring applications. These apps can provide detailed reports on your child’s online activities, flag inappropriate content, and track location. recommended options include Bark, Qustodio, and Net Nanny.
  5. Set Up Filtering Services: Utilize filtering services to block inappropriate content and promote safe browsing. Many routers offer built-in parental controls (such as Circle with Disney) which allow content filtering at the network level. Furthermore, tools like NextDNS or OpenDNS Home can provide similar filtering features, both for your home network and individual devices, even when they are outside the home network.
  6. Restrict Administrative Access: Ensure your child does not have administrative access to their device. Create an administrative account for yourself and set up a separate, restricted child account for them. This limits their ability to install apps or change security settings. For guidance, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions: Google, Microsoft, Apple.
  7. Do Regular and Sporadic Checks: Do not rely solely on these tools to supervise your child’s online activities. Regularly and sporadically check their devices to ensure compliance with your rules. This includes reviewing browsing history, installed apps, and social media interactions. Maintaining an open dialogue with your child about their online experiences is crucial to building trust and encouraging responsible behavior.

 

Other Resources

Kid Hope

https://kidshopeusa.org/

Kids Hope USA mentoring program, students develop transformative relationships with an additional caring and consistent adult, empowering them to thrive.

Take it Down

https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/

If you need help with taking down inappropriate media of your kids.

Assistance with preventing child online exploitation

Carly Ryan Foundation

Catfishcops.com

Thorn.org

 

List of Apps and Tools

https://www.netnanny.com/

https://nextdns.io/

https://signup.opendns.com/homefree/

Important Update: Mandatory Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Azure Users

Important Update: Mandatory Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Azure Users

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Starting in July 2024, multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be mandatory for all Azure users.

What is MFA?

MFA requires users to provide two or more pieces of evidence to verify their identity before accessing a service or resource. It adds an extra layer of protection beyond the standard username and password authentication.

Why is MFA important?

  • Enhanced Security: MFA significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.
  • Effective Defense: According to Microsoft, MFA can block over 99.2% of account compromise attacks.
  • Phishing Prevention: It helps prevent unauthorized access due to phishing, credential stuffing, and other attacks.

What to Expect

  • The rollout will be gradual and methodical to minimize impact on your use cases.
  • You’ll receive specific roll-out dates via direct emails and Azure Portal notifications in the coming months.

Take Action Now

If you prefer not to wait, you can set up MFA now using our recommended solution:

Set up the Microsoft Authenticator App as your Verification Method

Need help or have additional questions? Our team is available to help! 

Small healthcare shops face new network attacks

Small healthcare shops face new network attacks

 

 

Companies should get ready as crime rings plan to take their data hostage when employees slip up

 

By Jack Skinner

President and Founder

Oversee My IT

Small healthcare companies need to rethink their network security as criminal groups use new tactics to take their sensitive data

Ransomware, which was already a problem, is getting worse because technology tools that health businesses are adding, such as remote work, create new places to attack their systems.

In a study of 127 ransomware attacks against healthcare companies between 2016 and 2019, 70 percent were directed at shops with fewer than 500 employees, according to a report from security provider RiskIQ.

That’s because small providers typically have limited safety measures for their data.

Direct patient care facilities like hospitals “are more likely to pay (ransoms) to prevent disruption to patient care,” RiskIQ reported.

 

 

Mistakes a growing problem

As Covid-19 makes smaller shops put more data on the Internet, criminals are stealing credentials to break into their web applications.

And while internal actors account for many healthcare breaches, employee error is increasingly how bad guys get their hands on key information.

Some 31 percent of healthcare breaches this year are due to staff mistakes, compared with 22 percent across all industries, according to a Verizon study.

Covid is partly to blame because of stress and fatigue it is causing for people in the field.

 

But like industries such as finance, security glitches in healthcare often start with problems in workflow, communication, judgment, corporate culture – things that can’t be solved by buying a new technology tool.

 

 

How hackers get in

Employees are often unaware of miscues they have made that expose sensitive data to law breakers.

The most common oversight in 2020 is sending emails or paper documents to the wrong people, according to Verizon.

Some 14 percent of cybersecurity professionals say attacks that exploit short-staffed tech and security departments are the elements of the Covid-19 crisis that are most likely to increase risk to their enterprises.

Another is losing track of where key data is stored, such as putting medical records in a file and forgetting where it is.

Technology staffers since 2017 have increasingly left data-storage devices vulnerable on the Internet, according to Verizon.

Researchers forecast a rise phishing emails aimed at stealing credentials from overworked information-technology professionals.

The U.S. Secret Service has warned of emails from criminals posing as officials of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

 

 

Ransoms may replace inside jobs

Ransomware will likely rise as organizations add more connections to their networks, whether mobile devices, patient portals and other ways to interact with those they do business with.

As errors open more doors to intruders, healthcare may be seeing a decline in thefts caused by insiders like executives or doctors.

Privilege misuse accounted for 23 percent of attacks on healthcare organizations in 2019, versus 8.7 percent this year.

That may be partly because some companies are getting better at detecting breaches.

This year, organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees have been more likely to discover breaches in days, where big companies more often have taken months or years, according to Verizon data.

 

How to protect your company

 

 

Addressing security gaps on a network requires understanding:

  • Devices and technology connected to it
  • What data is located where within it
  • Protective measures it needs
  • Changes or upgrades necessary for regulatory compliance

Even at businesses with fewer than 10 employees, managers are often surprised what security evaluations find in their information systems.

Technology improvements should coincide with updated training for both lay and IT staffers on recognizing criminal behavior and what to do about it.

Audits on how information moves from one employee to another can help spot gaps that hoodlums may target.

These steps should extend to cloud services that providers may use going forward.

Contact Jack Skinner at Info@OverseeMyIT.com.

 

About Jack:

  • President and Founder of Oversee My IT, an Irving-based company that works with small and mid-sized businesses to make their technology trains run on time.
  • Launched in 2007, Oversee helps organizations with 10 to 200 employees to run their computers, secure their data and handle compliance.