Whether it’s gaming and social media for the kids, increased use of mobile devices for travelers or online gift registries for future husbands and wives, online safety takes on increased importance in the summer months. The National Cyber Security Alliance has teamed up with Connect Safely to promote Internet Safety Month this June, to address the increased necessity of vigilance in online activities. 

As summer vacation begins, school children are increasingly sharing personal information and pictures online and potentially interacting with strangers in online gaming environments. Internet Safety Month aims to promote diligent use of online games and social media for kids. Suggested preventative activities for parents include discussing online safety concerns with their children, particularly about posting personal information on social media sites, not replying to emails from unknown senders, and remaining vigilant in all other online exchanges. Proponents of Internet Safety Month also suggest that parents remain attentive to their children’s smart phone use, ensuring that their apps do not share the user’s location on social media, exposing them to potential threats. The National Cyber Security Alliance recommends iKeepSafe for additional resources parents can access to educate their children about online safety. 

As summer travel increases, more travelers are making reservations and booking airline tickets online. It’s important to ensure that antivirus and privacy software is up-to-date, so that users are not exposed to potentially harmful malware jeopardizing their plans. Additionally, verifying reliable Wi-Fi hotspots and avoiding unsecured networks while on vacation is difficult but would go a long way to ensure the safety of personal information. As incidents of phone and laptop theft experienced by travelers increase during busy travel periods, mobile devices may be better secured by installing remotely-operated kill switch software before a big trip.  

Summer is also wedding season: as couples are increasingly turning to online technology to manage wedding gift registries and guest lists, it is important to back up data and consider instituting two step authentication for important online accounts, using multiple identification techniques (for example, a username, pin number and/or a secret question) to confirm the identity of the person logging into the account. 

Readers looking to ensure their family’s online safety this summer can also use Ad-Aware’s Parental Controls, to prohibit access to adult-oriented websites and protect kids against negative web content.