Tag: Security Awareness


Online Rule of Agreement

Posted on February 29th, by Cathy Olsen in Securemama Site, Tutorial. 2 comments

This is part one in my “Top Ten ways to protect your kids on the Internet.” I will be hosting a booth at BYU Women’s Conference.  I think I will have this countdown as my main topic.

STEP ONE:

1. Online Rule of Agreement – This agreement is to promote a discussion of what is allowed and not allowed.  Your child is exposed to so much and in so many different ways (home computer, school, cell phones, friends' cell phones, etc.).  It is not realistic to think that all of those devices have been secured.  Discuss what types of sites are allowed and what is not allowed.  Discuss what your child can and cannot do on the Internet no matter what.  Use this agreement as a way to safeguard your child when they are accessing the Internet on computers or devices that … Read More »


Internet EXPLODER!!

Posted on February 6th, by Cathy Olsen in Technology Explained, Web Surfing. 1 Comment

Back in my security lab days, my fellow lab rats would refer to Internet Explorer as “Internet Exploder”!  ha!  One of the first questions I ask when people are having problems with pop up's or surfing the web is: “What web browser are you using? Internet Explorer or Firefox?” More often than not, people use Internet Explorer.  So, what is the difference?  Why is Internet Explorer less secure?

Updates – Internet Explorer is automatically installed with Windows.  Because of this, the only way to update Internet Explorer is through the Windows Automatic Updates.  That is fine, but the problem is that most people don't think to install the Windows (which includes Internet Explorer) updates.
Market Share – Internet Explorer is used by 60% of web traffic.  If you were a nasty cyber crime thief, which browser would you go after? Internet Explorer … Read More »


Anti-Virus Explained – Malware, Trojan Horse, WHA … ??

Posted on February 5th, by Cathy Olsen in Technology Explained. No Comments

So, I had a follow-up question regarding Anti-Virus software. 

How can my computer STILL get infected if I have anti-virus software?

What is Malware?  Malware is short for malicious software.  It is any software that is designed to infiltrate a computer without the users consent.  Malware includes the following attack vectors:

Computer Virus -A program that can copy itself and infect a computer.
Worm – A special type of virus that is self-replicating.
Trojan Horse – A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application.  (ring a bell? Greek History … Trojan Horse?) This program can collect and transmit data, gain remote access to your computer, or destroy different components of the computer – this is known as a Denial of Service  (DoS) attack.
Spyware – Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, … Read More »




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