The Internet can be a scary place, especially when you're a parent thinking of your kids being online. Between social media, games and, yes, even researching school work, most kids these days spend a great deal of time online. So how can you help keep them safe?

The biggest safety tip for parents is to be aware of what your kids are doing online. Do you know the sites the visit? Or the people they talk to? Do you know the things they post? Just like with real life, it is important to know where your kids are hanging out and who they're spending time with online. According to the McAfee Digital Deceptions study in 2013

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are great ways of keeping in touch with family, reconnecting with old friends, and making new ones. However, it is important to make sure that when using these sites, you're sharing information with only the people you want to and not strangers on the internet. Some unsavory people on the internet can and will use information that you post against you.

For example, posting on Facebook that you're on vacation can be a fun way to share the experience with your friends, but it can also let potential thieves know that you are out of town, leaving your home vulnerable. Many sites also allow users to 'check in' which also tells people you are away from home.

So how can you prevent strangers from seeing your personal information on Facebook? Adjust your security settings! Facebook has made it easier than every to see exactly who can see what you post on Facebook.

After you have logged into your Facebook page, you should see a security button in the top right hand corner. It looks like a padlock.



If you click on this button you will see several options.

The first option - Privacy Checkup - will walk you through choosing the privacy settings that are right for you. You can also see options to decide who can see what you post, who can send you messages and how to stop someone who is harassing you. More options are available under "See More Settings."

Guarding your information isn't' just limited to Facebook! It is very important to take the time to decide who can see your information on any website. It's a simple way to stay safe on one of the most popular social websites out there!


What social media sites do you like to use? Let us know in the comments!
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October is National Cyber Security Awareness month, so every week in October we will be focussing on a different aspect of staying safe online.

This week we are going to talk about staying safe while using email. Last week, we talked about passwords. Obviously, this is a huge part of staying safe on email and social media accounts. Without a strong password, hackers can access your account and send messages or posts from your account to your friends and family. If a hacker accesses your email, they can then send emails to anyone you have exchanged email with, even if it has been years since you spoke with them. You can read our last post for more information on creating strong passwords.

An important part of keeping your information and your computer safe when using email is to only open emails and especially attachments in emails, from people you know. Often times, people will send viruses or spyware through links in an email. Sometimes, they will masquerade as legitimate companies. That is why it is also important to look at the address of the sender. If an email claims to be from the FBI, IRS, or any other government agency and the sending email address does not end in .gov, it is not a true email. Also, no company will ask you for your personal information over email. They will not ask for your account number, bank account, social security number or any other private information.

Some fake emails are pretty easy to spot, like this email that claims to be from Coca-Cola. It seems pretty plain for an email from a Fortune 500 company, doesn't it? The "From" address also does not include the name Coca-Cola. Would a huge company not have their own website? These are things to notice before opening an attachment or clicking on a link.




Then there are others that go through great lengths to appear as though they are from the company, like this email from The Bank of Montreal. It certainly looks official, but it is asking for personal information. It is also trying to frighten you into sharing your information. Hackers know that if they can scare a person enough, that person will not hesitate to share their information.



It can be confusing and even frightening to deal with all of these possible security risks, just remember: When in doubt, don't click! Call the company to verify if possible. It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to protecting your information.

We hope this post has shared some new information with you. Stay tuned next time for tips on staying safe while using Social Media.

We will also have an post about a new service coming to the library! Don't miss out on this exciting news!

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Each week we will be posting tips on staying safe online. This week we're going to be talking about creating safe passwords.

Passwords are the key to keeping your information safe online. Without a strong password your email, Facebook and even bank accounts could be vulnerable.

There are a few key things to remember when dealing with passwords.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters long - the longer the better. It should also have a capital letter, symbol or number. Most websites require that passwords meet all of these requirements, but even if the website does not require it, you should keep in the habit of using passwords that include all of these elements.

Though it is tempting to make passwords easy to remember by using something simple like your name, children's name or birthday, these can make it easy to guess your password. Using a sequence of numbers like "12345" or "abc123" or even just using the word password can also make it very easy to guess a password. SplashData.com releases the worst passwords used every year. Below is a graphic showing the worst passwords of 2013. These passwords are considered the worst because they are so easy to guess.

image via splashdata.com

For a fun way of remembering the rules to a secure password, online security company Thycotic offers this: