Today is the annual Safer Internet Day, where the reality of online threats are detailed in the effort to encourage users to take better safety steps online.
According to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre, a study of 2000 eight- to 17-year-olds, found that 11% had “felt worried or anxious on the internet,” while respondents had felt inspired (74%), excited (82%) or happy (89%) as a result of their internet use in the previous week.
This year’s event is using the slogan “Create, Connect and Share Respect: A better internet starts with you” with a strong emphasis on using the internet and what makes users feel good or bad. In a time where more is being done to deliver a safe experience online - including free SSL certificates, the launch of a new version of the TLS protocol and the ability to filter out certain words on Twitter - it does seem that more is being done to provide a safer and better experience for all online.
Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said that the internet does have a positive effect on young people’s lives, but we must all recognize the dangers that can be found online. “Only by working together can government, industry, parents, schools and communities harness the power of the internet for good and reduce its risks.”
At the recent White Hat Ball, it was revealed that in 2017, there were over 12,000 counselling sessions in which children spoke to Childline about experiences of online sexual abuse, bullying and safety.
Will Gardner, a director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of Childnet, said: “Safer Internet Day gives us the unique opportunity to collectively promote respect and empathy online, inspire young people to harness their enthusiasm and creativity, and support them to build positive online experiences for everyone. It is inspirational to see so many different organizations and individuals come together today to build a better internet.”
After all, a safer internet means more young people are encouraged to learn more about the internet and its workings, and therefore see the benefits of a career in cybersecurity.
Raj Samani, chief scientist and fellow at McAfee, said the reality is that we need to continue raising awareness for codes of best practice online. “Cyber-criminals are constantly on the lookout for slip ups and mistakes which allow them to access lucrative private data – from bank account details to medical history: consumers must be aware of the threats online – not least because the blurring of work life boundaries today means bad habits online can quickly slip into the office.”
As a result, Samani recommended that businesses should offer staff training to build up a strong security culture across their entire organization.
He added: “Implementing the right technology is vital but, at the end of the day, it’s about looking for a blended approach which suits your specific organization. This means finding the right combination of people, process and technology to effectively protect the organization’s data, detect any threats and, when targeted, rapidly correct systems.
“Safer Internet Day acts as a timely reminder for organizations to ensure the correct training is in place so staff can remain cyber-savvy online.”
To tie-in with the day, ENISA published the Cybersecurity Culture in Organizations report, in order to promote both the understanding and uptake of cybersecurity culture programs within organizations. ENISA said that a decent culture is achieved by:
- Setting cybersecurity as a standing agenda item at board meetings to underline the importance of a robust cybersecurity culture
- Ensure that employees are consulted and their concerns regarding cybersecurity practices are being considered by the cybersecurity culture working group
- Ensure that business processes/strategies and cybersecurity processes/strategies are fully aligned
“While many organizations and employees are familiar with related concepts such as cybersecurity awareness and information security frameworks, cybersecurity culture covers a broader scope. The idea behind this concept is to make information security considerations an integral part of an employee’s daily life,” ENISA’s announcement said.
Part of this was to appreciate that “cyber threat awareness campaigns alone do not provide sufficient protection against ever evolving cyber-attacks,” and that technical cybersecurity measures need to be in accordance with other business processes, and it is important that employees need to act as a strong human firewall against cyber-attacks.
A safer internet is better for all, although a cynic of such awareness days would suggest that there should be year-round awareness of the issues and part of developing a culture is the constant awareness. Regardless, some action is better than none and it is reassuring to see such positivity about internet usage in 2018.