Advice

Having cyber smarts – do you?

Technology is fantastic and useful, but it can also put us at risk. What issues and risks do we face when using technology? What can we do to stay safe while still enjoying and making use of technology?

Then there are those pesky little problems like spam, trojans, hackers, malware, spyware, phishing…what does it all mean?

Cyber safety goes way deeper than just occassionally running an anti-virus scan on your computer.

With more and more of us using computer-like devices such as iPhones and tablet computers, it’s become more important than ever to understand what you’re using and making the right choices to not put yourself at risk.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe online:

- Protect your private info: Only give your mobile phone number, email address and website details to people you know and trust, and never share your password with anyone

- Photos: Think twice before sending or posting a photo of yourself (remember, once it’s out there you can’t take it back)

- Chatting to strangers: It’s not necessarily bad to chat to strangers online, but keep in mind they may not be who they say they are

- Moderate comments: If you’ve got a blog, make sure you moderate comments and delete offensive or irrelevent ones

- Arguments: If an argument is turning into a flame war, let it go; online feuds often turn into something much worse, so don’t do anything to encourage them

- Password security: Make sure your password is at least eight characters long, a mix of letters and numbers and not the name of your favourite band, pet or football team

YouthCentral have a great site with more information about cyber safety. Check it out here.

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