I was interviewed recently by Diana, a blogger for sproutforparents.com, and she told me about her not so pleasant experience using a search engine with her child. Let’s just say her search for volcanoes did not return the right kind of eruptions. Yeah…I feel her pain. I have been there when I wanted to look up the White House’s website at work and forgot that the address should be “.gov”. Embarassing!

Well, I came across some really cool content this week that I wanted to share for all of us who help kids navigate the computer. The first cool tip I read about in an article on Cnet is the Google ”Safe Search” tool. (http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10395112-238.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20)

Users have always had the ability to tweak Google search returns so they don’t contain adult content. The problem was that kids could change the settings. Google has changed it so that you can now lock in the settings using your password. A feature that I think is cool is that you can see from across the room if it is still on while your kids are surfing because there are large colored balls that show up on the top of the screen. How cool is that?

Though it is not foolproof since the kids can shut it off if they figure out your password (another reason to nix the post it notes on the front of the computer), I think this is a great option for those that need a filter but don’t want to use a parental management tool such as MFP. It also is great for those folks who don’t have kids themselves but may have some kid friends that come to visit.

To install go to http://www.google.com/preferences, choose an option under “safesearch filtering” such as “use strict filtering” then choose “Lock Safesearch”. Note, you will have to do this in each browser you use on your computer, i.e. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.

(Note This will not work if your kids are old enough to have email and use Gmail for their provider. In that case I would strongly suggest using a product like McAfee Family Protection that will filter everything for you.)

The next cool thing I found is a new update for the Kidzui Browser. I have long been a fan of the Kidzui browser for my littlest “surfer girl”. I love that it opens up in the entire window so she can’t accidentally click off the page and onto my desktop and I also love that it filters You Tube for me.

With the launch of Kidzui 5.0, kids and parents can now share weblinks between Kidzui and Facebook. (http://www.your-story.org/kidzui-launches-new-version-of-company%E2%80%99s-award-winning-kid%E2%80%99s-browser-featuring-new-ways-for-children-and-parents-to-safely-discover-and-share-the-internet-together-55046/) Go to Kidzui.com to learn more about Kidzui 5.0.

Today’s blog pertains to parents mainly, but with the holidays approaching, I thought this may be good for anyone who is expecting child visitors over the holidays. I know how much I would appreciate an aunt, uncle or friend who set up one of these options on their computer for my kids so I could relax on Thanksgiving Day – Delicious!

Stay safe!

Tracy
cybermom@mcafee.com
Twitter: McAfeecybermum

I’ll admit it. I am addicted to Farmville on Facebook! I also play (somewhat addicted) Scrabble with my son and old friends on Facebook. If you are a “friend” of mine on the social networking site, you probably already know this about me because I always post the lost pink cow or ugly duckling I find. Or if you play too, we are “neighbors” in Farmville, right?

Imagine my dismay when I see an article with a picture of my favorite Farmville in Time magazine that says “Are you getting scammed by Facebook Games?”
(http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1935698,00.html)

Alas! The story doesn’t end with Farmville. The company that created it, Zynga, also created Mafia Wars, Café World, Yoville and Roller Coaster Kingdom. Chances are if you yourself don’t play one of these games, you know someone who does. According to the Zynga website, they have 50 million daily active users.

Here is how the game works:

You start Farmville with a plot of land and a small amount of virtual money. You earn more virtual money by tilling the land, growing crops and taking care of animals.

If you want to progress faster in the game, you can also purchase (through credit cards and Paypal) more virtual money. If you don’t wish to use a credit card, you can sign up for a promotion.

The scam comes in when you choose to participate in a survey in exchange for virtual dollars. When you complete the survey, they ask for a cell phone number to send the ”results”. There is no mention of the $9.99 per month “service” fee they are going to charge your cell.

My thoughts immediately go to all the young teens who don’t have a credit card but have a cell phone and might fall for this trick. Then I think of all the people I know who might not be very computer/scam savvy and may fall victim. The truth is that these online games are created by revenue based companies. It is important to keep that in mind when you play and explain this to the young people in your life.

This Techcrunch.com article by Mark Pincus (CEO of Zynga) said (on video), he did anything for profits in the formation of his company including giving virtual poker chips in exchange for a toolbar download which he said, he “couldn’t get rid of it (the toolbar)”. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/zynga-scamville-mark-pinkus-faceboo/

According to the Time Magazine article, Zynga is doing everything in their power to be on the up and up and “has raised its BBB rating to a B+ from an F” in the past year which is great to see. Facebook and MySpace both say “they monitor all applications closely and have suspended companies that violate advertising protocols.” (Read more here: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1935698,00.html#ixzz0Wg2B2kaK)

I will still play my favorite games on Facebook, but I never “pay to play” and never click on ads or offers. I have told my kids to be careful of too good to be true offers. I also am very careful to keep my antivirus set to update automatically and use McAfee Family Protection to make sure my teens don’t give out their cell phone number online.

Cybermom’s Tips of the Day

1. Whenever you make purchases online, make sure that the Web site has encryption. If it is safe, it will display a closed lock in the Web browser – either top or bottom of the page. You can also check the Web address; it should begin with https:// if it is secure.

2. Never respond to an e-mail that asks you to validate or confirm any of your personal or account information. This could be a phishing scam. Contact the company directly if you are wondering if the email is legitimate.

3. Create a strong password for your Facebook account and all other accounts using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. Example: password=“Pa$$w0rd”, apple=“@ppl3”, doggone=“d0gg0n3”

4. Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date(current subscription, correctly installed, set to update automatically) in case one of these online games contains a virus.

5. Remember these game companies want to make a profit. If you aren’t paying to play the game, how are they making money? Ads on the site? Offers? Be careful what you click on – if a deal sounds too good, it probably is.

If you have been a victim of this scam, will you please write to me? Send an email to cybermom@mcafee.com.

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom

On All Hallows Eve, spooky tricks and treats are abound. You will see all sorts of ghouls (princesses too!). But watch out for more than just ghosts and goblins this Halloween. If you live in Rio, New York City or Toronto, there’s a high chance you have zombies in your neighborhood. Zombie computers that is!

McAfee Labs has tracked down the top global, U.S. and Canadian cities with highest number of zombie-infected computers.

A zombie is a PC that has been infected with a virus or Trojan horse that allows hijackers to take control of it. The hijacker uses it to generate spam or launch denial of service attacks (just like the recent Twitter and Facebook issues). Your PC can be turned into a zombie and used to attack others if you click on any virus infected link or download a malicious file. Guess what? This can be done unbeknownst to you.

How serious is this threat? President Obama has asked all Americans to take steps to secure their computers. In a speech on May 29th, he said “America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/National-Cybersecurity-Awareness-Month/

Below are the rankings of the most zombie-infected cities. The results may spook you!

The Top Four International cities with the highest zombie population:

1. Rio De Janeiro
2. Beijing
3. Istanbul
4. Moscow

The Top Five U.S. Cities with the highest zombie population:

1. New York City
2. Philadelphia
3. Austin
4. San Francisco
5. Dallas

The Top Four Canadian Cities with the highest zombie population:

1. Toronto
2. Montreal
3. Vancouver
4. Calgary
5. Winnipeg

Why are these cities at high-risk for zombies?
The data collected is based on the number of infected IP addresses in the specific geographic location. An IP address is the numeric address your computer uses when it is connected to the Internet, kind of like a phone number represents your telephone on the phone network.

Did you know your computer had a number that identifies it? The high urban concentration in these cities, Internet popularization and lack of reliable anti-virus protection may contribute to these cities topping the list.

How can you protect your PC from becoming a zombie?
You should remember that it only takes one person armed with an infected USB stick or an unprotected computer to bring zombies into your town. McAfee security experts urge consumers to buy comprehensive security software such as McAfee Total Protection, McAfee Internet Security, and McAfee VirusScan Plus and to keep subscriptions current.

If you feel that your PC is infected with malware visit http://home.mcafee.com/VirusInfo/VirusRemovalTools.aspx for virus removal tools and services.

Have you been attacked by zombies? Let me know how it happened.

Tracy
cybermom@mcafee.com
@McAfeeCybermom

There was a study done by the Berkman Center that said our kids are more likely to be hit by a car than be abducted by an online predator. The authors also reminded us that people worry about the safety of Halloween candy even though there has never been a documented case of candy being tainted (though I just met someone who told me a friend found tainted candy one Halloween).

My opinion is that even though on any given day the chance is very small that I will get in a car accident, so I still make sure that everyone in the car is buckled up before we drive and that I have responsible driving habits. I still check my kids Halloween candy. I still teach my family how to be safe online – kids and grandparents included!

Since Halloween is right around the corner and it is National Cyber Security Awareness Month I thought I would focus on “Cookies” – not the sweet stuff. Cookies are messages, or segment of data, containing information about a user, sent by a Web server to a browser and sent back to the server each time the browser requests a Web page. Kind of like Big Brother, right? (a reference to the novel by George Orwell, not the reality tv show)

So what does this mean to you and me? Well, it means that every time I go to Amazon, it says “Hi Tracy” and shows me content that would appeal to me based on my shopping and surfing habits on their site. Your page and my page probably look very different. It also means that if you use Gmail, you get ads around your pages that pertain to what is in your mailbox.

First-party cookies are not too dangerous because they are just used on one site. But third party cookies are another story. If a site uses third party cookies that means they can get shared among sites which may not be so good.

This week I read an interesting article in USA Today by Jayne O’Donnell who interviewed Paula Greve, director of Web security research at McAfee. Jayne broke down what cookies are and what to do about them. (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-10-26-cookies-explained_N.htm).

Here are some tips from the article if you want to protect your privacy:

• Check website privacy policies. Most sites state what information is gathered and how it is used. Some will let you opt in or opt out of the collection process. Check the policy especially if you plan to register on a site.

• Disable cookies. On your Web browser, you likely have an option to disable all cookies or those that apply to third-party uses. Disabling first-party cookies means websites won’t likely have your credit card or password information stored anymore. Greve has disabled third-party cookies on her computer and “sleeps better at night” because of it, she says.

• Remove cookies regularly. You can set your browser to automatically clear your entire browsing history and cookies, or do it manually. But Greve says even though cookies are removed from the computer, “Once you put your information out, it’s out there, and it’s going to get to stores in one way, shape or form.”

• Consider installing an “anonymizer.” These services hide your IP address wherever you go, but Greve warns there have been “phishing” attacks — e-mails that try to get personal information — through some of these.

• Use a proxy server. These devices, which are intermediaries between networks, allow you to browse in private.

This Halloween season beware of Halloween Screensavers. McAfee Labs has informed me that a search for them returns a significant amount of bad websites looking to infect your computer. Read this quick blog from Dave Marcus to learn about all the Halloween related scams to avoid. http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2009/10/29/trick-or-treat-with-spam-and-malicious-screensavers/

Let me know if you have come across any Halloween Hoaxes online.

Happy Halloween!

Tracy
cybermom@mcafee.com
@McAfeeCybermom

It’s true. I, Tracy Mooney, was just the subject of a social engineering scheme. It’s going around like the flu! I’m curious if anyone else has been hit.

Ever clicked on a TinyURL? Well, I did, and as a result, it sent me to a fake site and then spammed all of my followers on Twitter. You’d think that as a Cybermom I’d be fool-proof. But the truth is these guys are clever. They’re relentless. The cyberscammers disguised their message in a TinyURL that was automatically forwarded to me from a fellow tweep, who was also hit. If your friend sent you a message with a TinyURL, would you click on it? Most of us would – and that’s why cyberhackers do scams like that. Fortunately, my bank details weren’t compromised and a scan of my computer with the Virus Removal Service shows that I don’t have any malicious software on my computer.

But here is the lesson, folks. Cybercriminals go after everyone, and everyone needs to be on scam high alert. If this can happen to me, a person who writes about this stuff weekly, it can happen to anyone. As I have always done in the past, I am putting my experience out for all to learn. Here is what to keep on the lookout for.

Cyber Mom’s Recap

The link came as a direct message on Twitter from someone I know with a link that used tinyurl (a web address shortening service). When I clicked on the link, I was brought to what looked like Twitter. After that the SPAMMERS took over my account and started sending out direct messages to all of my followers (and then some!) with a link that brought all who clicked to this site.

McAfee Labs searched the site and found no malicious code embedded in the site. It looks like a straightforward phishing scheme just looking to get your contact information. (Which you should NEVER give your address to – I am still getting snail mail from the one time I gave my address with the name “Penelope Retch” during the SPAM Experiment in April of 2008! Makes me feel guilty for all the trees…)

Cyber Mom Lessons of the Day

1. Always be careful of shortened urls – if you can’t see the site, don’t click on the link. Even if you know the person who sent it.

2. Never type in your password when you have clicked on a link to get to a site. Instead, type in the address of the site and then log-on, to make sure you’re in the right place.

3. If you even *think* you may have been phished or that you may have given away your password – change it immediately.

4. Consider using an application like Power Twitter in Mozilla Firefox or something similar that un-shortens shortened links in Twitter – Power Twitter shows you a thumbnail of the page so you know where the link leads.

5. And if you’re worried, go to McAfee’s Cybercrime Response Unit to see how much danger you may be in.

I’m curious if anyone else has fallen victim to this type of scam – let me know if so!

Safe surfing!

Tracy
cybermom@mcafee.com

Five years ago a family member bought my kids a game called City of Heroes for Christmas. Within a week, we bought a new computer because the PC we had was unable to run… said the game. (Merry Christmas, right?)

At the time I was very frustrated. I really had no idea why this game was so large and why the kids needed to log on to play. It was the beginning of introducing my family to a MMORPG – Massive Multiplayer Online Role Player Game….and me starting to pay closer attention to how interactive these online games are.

The kids still play that game and the newer version City of Villains today. World of Warcraft is another MMORPG that you may have heard of because it is hugely popular and in the news sometimes.

Imagine my concern when the latest McAfee research paper was released, “Inside the Password Stealing Business: The Who and How of Identity Theft” and they announced that gaming passwords are the most targeted logins on the web!

Below are three ways that apparently the new hacker tricks have moved beyond keyloggers:

1. Now the malware takes screenshots as you enter passwords.

2. Some malware will just go straight into your browser and steal the passwords you have saved so you don’t have to type it in every time you visit a favorite site.

3. Cybercriminals can even hijack legitimate websites and create a pop-up that asks for your login information.

But I was still thinking.. ‘why gaming logins over bank and credit card information?’ So I went to my resident expert – my 18 year old son. Here is what he told me.

Cyber Son – “In the world of online gaming there’s nothing more valuable than rare in-game items. There is a huge black market for items found in certain video games. People are willing to pay big money for, say, a rare weapon that can only be obtained through difficult tasks and quests. Some people are more willing to spend money than do said requirements. So criminals are willing to steal gaming passwords of “1337” (internet slang for “elite”) players to take in-game items and sell them to the highest bidder.”

No matter what you do when you surf, we all need to be careful with passwords. Make them hard to guess but easy for you to remember. I have three different passwords I use with different grades of difficulty – the hardest for financial sites such as my bank or Paypal, easier passwords for sites that I just need to join to participate but that don’t have any financial connection.

Cyber Moms tips of the day

1. Make sure you are running a current version of a comprehensive security suite (that has two-way firewall protection).

2. Never save passwords in your browser for financial/banking/credit card sites or shopping sites where your credit card information is saved.

3. If you are worried your system is already infected, use McAfee’s complimentary malware scanner, McAfee FreeScan.

4. McAfee’s Cybercrime Response Unit is a free source of great information if you have been a victim of a cybercrime or just want to assess your level of risk.

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom
cybermom@mcafee.com

For those of you who don’t have kids, the back to school sales may mean great deals on new computers. I just scored a great netbook at a fantastic price. I was so psyched! As I was setting it up, I remembered that it has been a while since I had to do this. Many of you may be taking advantage of the great PC deals this Fall and will go through setting it up yourself or perhaps for your child.

Before I took on the role of Cyber Mom, I never thought much about setting up the computer. Plug it in and get online as fast as I could to see what the thing can do, right? Now I think twice. I had heard a statistic somewhere in my travels that a new PC can get infected after three minutes of surfing online – not sure if it is true, but it is worth heading some caution. No?

Cyber Mom’s Tips for Securing a New PC

1. Set up the computer - the computer will walk you through this process.

2. Install/setup a comprehensive security product immediately!– Most new computers have a free trial of a security suite pre-loaded on the computer. If you use Comcast for high speed internet, you get a complimentary subscription to McAfee.

I suggest you set this up before you begin surfing the internet or if you need to download the software, do so immediately. If your security program has a firewall, now is the time to set that up as well.

3. If you have kids, consider setting up a program that allows kids to explore the internet responsibly and safely, such as McAfee Family Protection. For me, it gives me peace of mind when I am not able to be with the kids and they need to use the computer. What I like best about this product is that I customize it for each child no matter what their age or interests.

4. My computer was loaded with “bloatware” – those free trials and links that come pre-loaded on the computer. Although they are not dangerous, they do take up space on your hard drive. I deleted the products I didn’t want to use in the add/remove programs in the control panel. There were also some links to websites that I wasn’t interested in, but they don’t get removed the same way. Simply right click on the icon on the desktop or in the startup menu and select delete to remove these.

5. Use strong passwords with combinations of numbers and letter. Click here for other tips for kids and tweens.

Now that you are set up, protected and clean, have fun! With protective software and some common sense, you or your kids can enjoy surfing the net. I have the computers in my home loaded with software to protect my kids, the computers and my identity – the whole kit and caboodle! Use your head and stay safe out there!

As a side note, this week we lost Patrick Swayze to pancreatic cancer. Dirty Dancing still is one of those movies I can watch over and over again. This week I heard many stories about what a good person he was and how great he was to work with- really great to hear. What wasn’t so great to hear was that cybercriminals are once again using the story to infect computers. So be aware of scams and spammers and stay protected.

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom
cybermom@mcafee.com

It is September and the kids are all heading back to school! Wow, another summer over already!

Last year at this time, I met the director of a pre-school who told me she was terrified of the computer and therefore never let her kids on it unless she was sitting with them. I can understand that there are scary things on the web, but with all the wonderful, educational things on the internet it is unrealistic to take this approach. I had to point out to her that home is not the only place kids can access the internet. Kids have access at school, at the library and at their friend’s house. So it is important to give kids the tools they need to stay safe while surfing starting when they are young.

According to a poll McAfee did with Harris Interactive, 32 % of teenagers clear the browser history when they have finished using the computer and 16% have created private e-mail addresses or social networking profiles to hide what they do online from their parents. And double the number of teen girls compared to boys have shared photos or physical descriptions of themselves online to someone they don’t know (34 per cent girls vs. 15 per cent boys).

Want to prevent your kids from engaging in this kind of behavior? Start talking to them and setting reasonable rules for them to follow. If you are not sure what your kids need to know, here are the main things to stress. ( I am giving the basic topics. You can make them age appropriate for your child and value appropriate for your family.)

1. Passwords – make them easy to remember but hard to guess. Never share them – even with your best friend.

2. Strangers online are no different from strangers on the street. I explain to my kids that just because the person on Club Penguin or City of Villains says they are your age, doesn’t mean they really are. People can say they are anyone so it is never wise to meet them offline alone.

3. Never share personal information online – never post your home address, home or cell number, physical description, photos, etc.

4. Make sure profiles on social networks are set to private. This way pages can only be seen by people you know.

5. Never be mean, but you don’t have to be nice. The main online golden rule. It means that kids should never bully or say mean things to other kids, but when strangers approach them online – they don’t have to respond or engage them in any way.

Understand that occasionally they will slip up. Remind them of the rules and move on. This is the best way to ensure that your kids stay safe and that they know they can come to you when they need help.

I also enjoy when my kids show me something about the wild, wild web. It keeps the conversation fun and interesting. Ask your kids tonight to show you something fun or unusual that they have found.

Here is one of my favorites… http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ – don’t forget to click occasionally. Have fun!

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom
cybermom@mcafee.com

I have to admit, I am not much of a celebrity gossip gal. Chalk it up to having lived in L.A. and seeing the real deal in person. However, I will admit, I do occasionally have to Google celebrities to find out who the kids are talking about! I know that there are many people out there who just have to know all about their favorite stars – well this blog is for you!

This year’s list of McAfee’s most dangerous celebrity in cyberspace has just been released. It seems Brad Pitt has lost his title. The new celeb to wear the crown is…drum roll please! Jessica Biel!

McAfee created a list of the top fifteen celebrities*, that if you choose to search for online, there is a higher likelihood that you will download a virus to your computer. Searching for Jessica Biel, for instance, you have a one in five chance that you will land on a website that will have adware, spam, phishing etc, when all you want is to watch a video or download some wallpaper!

Originally I thought “Big deal!” I don’t search for celebs just like I don’t search for free music lyrics. Well, then it struck me – I don’t, but I am not the only one who uses the computers in my home! All it takes is one teenager who wants to know all about Beyonce, Tom Brady or Miley Cyrus to potentially infect my computer!

What is a mom to do??? Get savvy, that’s what! This is no time to feign ignorance, rest your hand on your forehead and say (in a drawl) “but I don’t know about computers.” It is easy!

The first step is to just start being aware of the types of things that are dangerous online for you and your family. If you are reading my blog, you are already doing just that. The steps to keeping your computer and family safe are easy and I have highlighted them in today’s tips. Finally talk to your family about it. Start the conversation when the kids are young and keep talking about it.

CyberMom Tips of the Day

1. Antivirus software – do you have it? Is it current? Small investment for peace of mind

2. Site Advisor is free and it will tell you if a website potentially contains the bad stuff that infects computers. Simple enough for even kids to use. Or make it even easier by using a security suite like McAfee Total Protection -Site Advisor is built in and your computer is protected from all types of malware.

3. Talk about it – at the dinner table tonight say something like… “did you know that Jessica Biel is the most dangerous celebrity to Google?” (Feel free to fill in Beyonce, or Tom Brady or any of the fifteen celebs on the list that might get the attention of one of your family members). Tell them all about how the computer will get broken if anyone accidently downloads a virus onto the computer with that free ringtone or wallpaper. See if any of your teens are in the know enough or are plain impressed that their mom is so smart!

*Most Dangerous Celebrities in order

1. Jessica Biel

2. Beyonce

3. Jennifer Aniston

4. Tom Brady

5. Jessica Simpson

6. Giselle Bundchen

7. Miley Cyrus

8. Meghan Fox/ Angelina Jolie

9. Ashley Tisdale

10. Brad Pitt

11. Reese Witherspoon

12. Britney Spears

13. Rihanna

14. Lindsay Lohan

15. Kim Kardashian

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom
cybermom@mcafee.com

A few years ago, I got a letter in the mail from my bank. The letter stated that my VISA debit card may have been compromised because I had recently shopped at a TJX store. It turns out, my card was canceled in time and no and unauthorized charges were made. According to McAfee avert labs, a whopping 94 million records were stolen in the data breach that TJX companies experienced in 2005!

When someone steals from you on the internet, you aren’t aware that the crime has taken place sometimes until your credit card statement arrives or as in my case when you receive a letter from your bank. Believe it or not, there is something called carding sites which are websites where criminals buy or sell credit card numbers, dumps from magnetic strips, bank account numbers and even entire personal profiles. It is amazing – you really can buy anything on the net!

I have never understood the desire to steal something from another person. Unfortunately people steal from others every second on the “wild, wild web”. According to the Internet Crime Complaint center, the amount of money stolen online in 2008 reached a historic record – $265 million dollars stolen.

As you start your back-to-school shopping, are you careful with your credit card? I am sure you are. We’ve all been trained to be very careful with the physical card. But are you careful with your financial information on your computer? As you shop online? Do you keep your tax records on your computer? In a file called “2008 tax records”?

Seeing the film at www.stophcommerce.com has opened my eyes to how cybercrime takes place.

It can happen by ….

…..clicking on a link and being brought to a fake website where you think you are at a store, auction site or even your bank.

…..clicking on a link or photo and downloading malware such as keylogging software onto your computer.

…..someone driving by your home and logging on to your wireless router and gaining access to your computer and financial records that you keep on your computer.

There can be many signs—You may notice that your computer is running sluggishly OR
you may suddenly get a barrage of pop-ups OR you may suddenly get a call from your credit card company asking if you made a large purchase.

What do you do next? Your first stop should be the Internet 911 or what is called the Cybercrime Response Unit at www.mcafee.com/cru. There you’ll be brought through a series of questions that will tell if you have been the victim of cyber crime and what your next step should be, whether it is as simple as calling your credit card company or as serious as contacting the FBI.

As your cybermom, I am asking you to use the same commonsense that you use regularly out in the world when you do anything at all online. Criminals strike the second you let your guard down.

Cyber Mom Tips

1. Only shop at legitimate sites. Use sites that have a Trustmark or are extremely well known and highly recommended.

2. Never click on a link in an e-mail from person you do not know.

3. Learn about phishing, mules, Nigerian Scam (419 fraud) so that you can keep your financial information safe.

4. Use a firewall and keep anti-virus up to date.

5. Taken advantage of the free download of site adviser to tell you if a site has malware or will SPAM you and even tells you if a link in your email should not be clicked on.

6. Use encryption to your advantage– only input credit card information on secure websites.

7. Shop auction sites with caution. Always pay with a credit card for an added layer of protection.

8. Make passwords for financial sites particularly difficult and different from any other passwords you use.

9. Secure your home wi-fi with encryption.

10. Pass it on – pass on these tips to a friend or a senior citizen you know to help keep them safe.

Tracy
@McAfeeCybermom
cybermom@mcafee.com