Linda McCarthy is the parent of two teenagers. On the day her kids swiftly and innocently destroyed the security on her home network, McCarthy knew she had to do something and fast.
McCarthy is no stranger to the world of computer security. A native of Marin County in California, she managed Internet security for Sun Microsystems and Recourse Technologies during the 1980s and ‘90s. When Recourse was bought by Symantec, she served as the anti-virus software giant’s Executive Security Advisor until 2008.
McCarthy’s experience with her kids convinced her to write a book that would teach good security techniques to computer savvy teenagers. Over 16,000 copies of that book - Own Your Space - have been provided free via download to schools from California to Maine.
“The biggest problem in Internet security is the people factor,” says McCarthy. She cites as an example how parents are buying cell phones for their kids without thinking about the around the clock mobile access their children will now have to the Web. “Parents are arming their kids with technology they don’t fully understand themselves,” says McCarthy.
The constant struggle between the good and bad elements of the Internet makes teenagers especially vulnerable. Over the just completed 4th of July weekend, a movie based on the popular Twilight book series was released in theaters across the country. Teenagers flocked to websites for news and information. And the bad guys were waiting.
McCarthy points out that Internet criminals are always trying to figure out ways to get their code into computer systems. When they know that teenagers will be visiting certain sites in heavy volume, they target those sites. McCarthy advises parents to ensure they have anti-virus software that includes automatic updates and drill into their kids the importance of only searching sites that have “safe checks” listed next to them. “Bad” sites with malicious code will usually be flagged. Anything questionable should be avoided at all costs.
It’s a sad commentary on the digital world we’ve created that no matter what we do to keep our children safe parents have to remain ever vigilant. Because the next home network they innocently bring down may be your own.
Comments