Back to school Cyber Hygiene Tips

Fall brings our children back to school with the autumn migration of teachers and students to often new classrooms. Parents and caregivers find themselves inundated with all kinds of school required forms and digital permission slips. These provide great openings for bad actors to begin new waves of mischief.

What should parents do? Start here.

• Review your home cybersecurity status.
• Is the anti-virus software on all your home systems (computers and mobile devices) up to date?
• Do all your family mobile phones have up to date anti-virus enabled?
• Do all your family members know how to safely connect to wireless internet in public places? Teach them how to use a VPN connection.
• Is all your home application software up to date with the latest patches?
• Has your home Wi-Fi password been changed recently?
• Do you have a separate guest Wi-Fi account established?
• Has all your important digital data been backed up? Are backups stored off site in a safe location?
• Train your family for safe activities on a computer and mobile device.
• Know and explain the laws about taking and sharing inappropriate photos.
• Understand and explain the personal responsibilities about access to data. The right to access data brings the responsibility to be a trustworthy protector and custodian of such data.
• Explore the real-life consequence of inappropriate social media sharing. Once it's posted, it is forever online and accessible to anyone.
• Talk about how to handle anger and hurt. Adolescent relationships can turn volatile. There are many temptations to post negative comments about classmates, peers, or teachers. An emotional moment can bring legal ramifications and embarrassment. Facebook posts unearthed a decade from now will bring unintended consequences to future school admissions and job applications.
• Make sure family members never share personal information online.
• Learn and explain "phishing". Teach your family how to identify the real senders of opportunities or notices and to never open suspicious links.
• Emphasize that physical protection is key to keeping data secure. Limit who can use your family members' mobile devices, laptops, computers, and especially thumb drives. Protect with strong passwords. (NOTE: Many thumb drives (USB Drives) are stored on key chains or on lanyards which are easily mislaid.) Teach your family members to physically secure and password protect their devices.
• Understand the best way to dispose of digital media. NIST SP 800-88r1 provides in depth guidance.
• Know and understand your school's data management policy and protective measures. Do not be tempted into signing the plethora of documents without fully reading everything. Data management is a vital requirement for schools under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In these times of tight school budgets, be certain that your student's data is protected.
• Question and understand the reasons schools need certain data and their data protection policies.
• Make sure you understand who in the school system will have access to what data.
• Remember that data is not just digital information. It also includes copies of all paperwork and forms, some of which have Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
• Understand your institution's data encryption policies.

Stranger Danger has not gone away; it has just added all kinds of digital elements. Now strangers are potentially globally connected. Know who to contact if you or your family member becomes a victim of a cybercrime. Start with your local law enforcement agency.

For additional information on any of these topics, contact RNT Professional Services at info@rntpros.com or at 405.561.4326.