For more than 15 years, every February 7th, International Safe Internet Day has been celebrated worldwide in order to promote good practices during the online experience.
According to the cybersecurity company Lumu Technologies, the commercialization of access credentials (usernames and passwords) has proven to be very useful for cybercrime groups: this is a way to enter, for example, organizations.
In the case of Colombia, so far in 2023, Lumu has observed a 1,200% increase in the sale of access credentials to email accounts compared to the same period of the previous year. The main affected are government entities and educational institutions throughout the country.
Given this scenario and on the occasion of International Safe Internet Day, the information security company Trend Micro shared a list with basic recommendations for the responsible and safe use of new technologies.
1- Do not open emails from unknown senders: Spammers continue to actively pursue their targets and send spam for various purposes, so it is important to verify the provenance of these messages: open only those from known individuals and institutions to avoid payload execution malicious for information theft or malware infections.
2- Using tools to check email: Using tools to check email messages is a good bet. Using a browser plug-in helps determine the legitimacy of a message and can keep cybercriminals at bay.
3- Do not click on unverified links: Users may encounter unverified links on spam or malicious pages that are cleverly worded to attract attention and gain clicks. This is particularly dangerous on social networking sites where the user is more likely to let their guard down.
4- Keep the practice of going back to the source: Go directly to trusted sites and search from there.
5- Stop downloading files from unsafe sources: Never download files from questionable pages. It is advisable to search for reliable download sources such as SourceForge that offer the files you want to download instead.
6- Scan files before downloading: If you can’t do without downloading files, you should make sure to scan them beforehand. Using trusted security software adds an important additional layer of protection.
7- Stop insecure mobile browsing: Never access financial websites or other sites that require sensitive information from your cell phone. This makes it easy for cybercriminals to steal not only money, but also personally identifiable information.
8- Safe Mobile Browsing Practices: Mobile devices have built-in security features. It is important to take advantage of them to guarantee online protection, as well as the security of the data stored on the device.
9- Do not use unlicensed software: Pirated software can be considered a risk factor due to the pre-installation of malicious software by the same people who then sell it at greatly reduced prices.
10- Regularly download software updates: When you get instructions to download software updates, it’s a good idea not to ignore them. Even if it is necessary to reboot your system in the middle of an important task, which can be quite daunting, go ahead and be disciplined, as it is essential to stay protected.
And the safety of minors?
Last year TikTok and the Colombian Institute for Family Well-being (ICBF) launched a parental guide that can serve as a resource to guide parents on the responsible use of platforms by their children.
The guide has nine chapters, among which recommendations and tips are offered to facilitate important conversations within families about responsible navigation within digital platforms.
One of the recommendations is that the age of 13 is the starting point in which users can create an account on the platform, an important moment for adolescents and families to learn about digital literacy and the intelligent behavior that must be managed. in the use of platforms.
It also explains the importance of using the features of the apps that include user blocking, account reporting, content filtering, comment and direct message restriction, interaction with other users, as well as other privacy settings.
