Today is World Information Society Day, which aims to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies
Today is World Information Society Day, which aims to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies. In relation to this, Kaspersky Lab warns of the dangers posed by cybercriminals and offers tips for a secure and pollution-free digital life.
Using social networks, banking and shopping online have become part of our everyday lives. A generation of digital natives is living online – and offline – often without being aware of the dangers of the Internet. More than 400 million people worldwide are now on Facebook (1), and more than half the population of Europe is part of the world’s biggest social network.(2) Children and teenagers are in particular danger of exposing personal data, such as private pictures, to the general public, and of revealing private information in social networks. On top of this, the security experts at Kaspersky Lab process an average of 30,000 new malicious and potentially undesirable programs every day – and the number is growing.
On the occasion of World Information Society Day, Kaspersky Lab provides some simple tips for a secure digital life:
- Keep Windows and third-party applications up-to-date.
- Back up your data regularly to a CD, DVD, or external USB drive.
- Don’t respond to email or social media messages if you don’t know the sender.
- Don’t click on email attachments or objects sent via social networks if you don’t know the sender.
- Don’t click on links in email or IM (instant messaging) messages. Type addresses directly into your web browser.
- Don’t give out personal information in response to an email, even if the email looks official.
- Only shop or bank on secure sites. These URLs start with ‘https://’ and you’ll find a gold padlock in the lower right-hand corner of your browser.
- Use a different password for each web site or service you use and make sure it consists of more than 5 characters and contains numerals, special characters and upper-case and lower-case letters. Don’t recycle passwords (e.g. ‘jackie1’, ‘jackie2’) or make them easy to guess (e.g. mum’s name, pet’s name). Don’t tell anyone your passwords.
- Make sure you share your child’s online experience and install parental control software to block inappropriate content.
- Install Internet security software and keep it updated.
While up-to-date protective software is essential for every Internet user, it is particularly important for those who spend a lot of time interacting with others via the Internet. Failing to use this type of software enables malware to take up residence on your computer, where it can intercept your login information for social networks and other services. Kaspersky Lab protects Internet users against all kinds of cyberthreats through its different security solutions, such as Kaspersky® Anti-Virus and Kaspersky® Internet Security. The new Kaspersky PURE solution offers additional features, like a password manager and data encryption, and frees life from digital pollution.
More information on Kaspersky Lab products is available at www.kaspersky.co.uk
(1)http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics, May 11, 2010
(2) Forrester Research, Consumer Technographics, April 2010
