Teens are being told to guard their passwords and to be suspicious of unsolicited attachments as the province gears up for World Password Day, May 2.
The advice comes as parents of School District 43 raised the issue of cybersecurity at a recent school board meeting.
Marvin Klassen, president of the SD43 District Parent Advisory Council, asked that students be given information about how to protect themselves from online criminal activity.
Cybercrime is a growing concern in Canada and adults are being encouraged to talk to kids about how to stay safe.
But what should parents say?
At a presentation to a Surrey middle school, Jinny Sims, minister of Citizens' Services, said there are some simple tips that kids can learn to avoid problems.
Among the cyber essentials for youth are the following:
Use strong passwords. Do not share them.
* Do not click on suspicious links or attachments. Think before you click!
* People may not be who they say they are online.
* Keep an eye on your devices. Do not allow them to be borrowed or stolen.
* Be kind online.
* Report anything suspicious to an adult.
There are good reasons for adults as well as youth to pay attention to this growing problem.
Last year, $14 billion was spent on cyber crime in Canada. By 2021, cyber crime is estimated to cost $6 trillion globally. As criminals become more sophisticated and technology advances, these numbers will continue to climb. Government, businesses, parents, teachers, students, members of the community and all organizations need to work together to remain vigilant about online security.
In SD43, teachers are being trained to spot phishing scams.
Like many organizations dealing with large amounts of personal data, SD43 has to fight back against hackers seeking to steal sensitive information or wreak havoc on computer networks. Every day, SD43 gets between 25,000 and 50,000 malicious emails, and although a robust security system filters out most of them, a few sometimes get through that could put the district or the staff person at risk if acted upon.
New software being purchased will send out emails that look like a phishing scam and if a teacher or other staff member falls for one of them, it will let them know and recommend a five-minute training video on how to identify malicious emails.
Typically the ruse is a way for a cybercriminal to get a password, credit card details or the redemption code from a gift card the email recipient is asked to purchase.
The phishing email can sometimes look nonsensical but is still real enough to fool someone, even a teacher, and while the software won’t be used on students, according to director of instruction Stephen Whiffin, young people are already being taught to be vigilant about phishing scams and how to stay safe online as part of the district’s digital citizen curriculum.
Cyber crime and security also create demand for IT talent locally, provincially, nationally and globally. According to industry experts, there will be at least 3.5 million job openings in this area worldwide by 2021.
To find out more, visit these websites:
ERASE (expect respect and a safe education): www.erase.gov.bc.ca
Resources to help keep children and youth safe online:
and https://protectkidsonline.ca/app/en/
