It Takes an (ISC)² Member

-   Change the passwords I’ve told my friends

-   Change my Facebook privacy settings

-   Put a password on my computer

-   Put the Websites on my favorite list so I don’t mistype them

-   Download newest software on our computer

These are some of the online safety tasks kids at Swanson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia said they plan to undertake as a result of attending the first (ISC)² Safe and Secure Online presentation delivered in the Washington D.C. area yesterday. A local CISSP volunteer and father of three, Dan VanBellenghem of NCI Information Systems, Inc. spoke to 15 kids and 19 teachers about the dangers that await them when they interact online. I attended, and I cringed when six kids responded that they had posted pictures of themselves online, and three from this small group said a stranger they’d chatted with online tried to persuade them to meet in person.

I haven’t figured out whether kids this age (S&SO is aimed at 11-14 year olds) are unwitting or just cavalier, but either way, it’s clear they need help. And so do their parents. There are a lot of useful, compelling pamphlets, videos, games, Websites and other resources out there for parents and kids, but there aren’t any ambassadors to help them understand the information.

 

As a mother of two very young girls (ages 1 and 3), I don’t have to worry about these issues yet, but I know I will. Right now, the biggest problems I face as a parent are how to make my pre-schooler stay in the naughty chair and graduate beyond macaroni and cheese for every meal. I dread the day that I have to worry about someone stalking her because she posted a picture of herself on her Facebook page. My parents didn’t have to worry about these kinds of threats, so I have no template or foundation for protecting my children from them. But I do have an advantage. I’ve worked for high-tech companies my entire life and work now for a company that exists to certify people who make the cyber world a safer, better place.

 

Many parents are not so lucky. Plenty of them have no idea that these threats exist, let alone that their kids are engaging in risky online behavior that could follow them throughout their lives and even jeopardize their careers. And they don’t know where to turn if their child becomes a victim. One of the teachers today told me her daughter had been a victim of cyberbullying. She said both her daughter’s school and the police weren’t able to trace the bully, so it went on for a year and a half. The experience was devastating to her daughter (who is in college now).

Swanson Middle School, the Virginia Department of Education, and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office are making cyber security awareness a priority. The state school system is a modelfor innovation when it comes to incorporating cyber security awareness into not only their curriculum but for establishing an ongoing dialogue with kids so the kids know they have advocates and allies. Several members of the school staff are iSafe-certified, for which they have to receive ongoing training.

The threats kids face today are real – not just fodder for an episode of 48 Hours “To Catch a Predator.” Our society must band together to protect our children. As the leading experts on cyber safety, security and ethics in the world, our members hold a very special place in society and can have such an impact on these kids.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes an army of parents, teachers, counselors, mentors and professionals to keep them safe – and secure.

Comments

[Richard Beach]

Too right! It does take an army to keep them secure, but you left friends off the list. A teen's peers are the most influential group in their lives (sorry parents of teens) so figuring out how to activate them is the biggest challenge. Also, younger children watch these older siblings and guess what, they copy them.

Peer group aside though you are right that security professionals have a place here. I worked for 5 years at www.netsafe.org.nz delivering cybersafety seminars for kids and parents. During that time I studied towards my SSCP so developed more and more of a security mindset as well as technical knowledge. Some of the most successful seminars were delivered to technically competent teenage boys (sorry for the stereotype but its true) in which I was able take them a step further to consider the risks in what they were doing online. I was able to do this better than their teachers firstly because I was an outsider so was given perhaps a little more respect, but also simply because I knew more about the topic. Teaching is part skill and part bluff but it's hard to bluff to teenagers about a topic they 'own'.
So I'd encourage all (ISC)2 members to consider running seminars for your local schools. It's rewarding, challenging, and fun.