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(ISC)2 joins forces with Childnet in internet safety campaign
n e w s
(ISC)² joins forces with Childnet in internet safety campaign Eleanor Dallaway
M
embers of (ISC)² and Childnet, a charity devoted to making the internet a safe place for children, have announced a scheme to promote internet security awareness in British schools. John Colley, a consultant for a major UK finance institution, described the project as “an exciting initiative that will hopefully be used as a model for other professions”. Colley also serves on the board of directors for (ISC)², the CISSP certification body. “With (ISC)² experts doing all the training”, he explained, “we maintain high quality around the programme. It is an opportunity for anybody that holds one of our credentials to do some volunteer work in their local community”. The scheme is to pilot in the UK this year, with training beginning in October, and the schooling to begin in November. Colley expressed hope that if the scheme is successful, it will expand to include schools all over Europe. Colley has other plans for expansion too:“We are also considering doing a similar program with small local businesses, an area in which we think that as a society, we are particularly vulnerable”.This training would include advice on data protection, patching machines “and all the really basic stuff that corporates take for advantage, but is quite a vulnerability”.
Enabler and danger? The programme hopes to provide the right balance between promoting the internet as a great resource, and highlighting the importance of using it safely and responsibly. It is aimed at 11-13 year olds.“They are generally more sophisticated internet users”, said Colley.When asked about the motive behind this target audience, he said:“a lot of the training material fits directly into their curriculum”.Young children however, are beginning to use computers and the internet more and more, and are surely in need of this education too? Colley acknowledged this demand,“we will review the scheme at the end of the year, if it successful, we will be sending it to primary schools and more secondary schools”. Although the internet is a great enabler, there are dangers involved with using such technology.“There have been many cases of undesirable people grooming children and children need to be aware of this. A security professional can explain to them how the internet is a very anonymous place and it is very difficult to track people down, and can therefore be very dangerous”. Such brutal realities, however, run the risk of scaring children into not using the internet. Colley insists that this programme will not do this. “We don’t want to detract in any way from the very positive aspects of IT technology”.
Childnet are working closely with (ISC)² to compile materials such as hand-outs, take-aways and information packs which will become available to the children during the presentations. They will also be the opportunity for question and answer sessions. The importance of anti-virus protection Colley is eager to point out that the scheme is not solely about warning children about the dangers of visiting inappropriate websites and using IM, but also about the importance of anti-virus software and patches for their computers: “We want to lay good foundations for good practices later in life. If we catch them young and explain that it is a place where you have to be careful about what you do and protect your information, then hopefully as they become young adults, they will protect their personal information from identity theft because they’ve had their grounding in school”. Hugely popular with children and young adults, instant messaging and chat rooms are unfortunately home to the biggest threats.Talking to someone who you may not know on a one-to-one basis can be incredibly dangerous.These risks must be bought to attention.“Parents need to be addressed too”, said Colley,“in regard to software
that should be installed to stop children from entering sites that they should not be accessing”. More than just internet awareness The programme will also look at mobile phone security. The promotion of safe and responsible use of mobiles is becoming more and more important due to new technologies such as Bluetooth, which enables other mobile phone owners to access information and files from another activated mobile. With many children owning mobile phones, Colley lists some of the dangers that they will be exposing. “Basic things, like putting PIN numbers on SIM cards, not using a phone while walking down a street without many people around, decisions regarding contract or pay as you go phones. Ensuring acceptable use of built-in cameras and recording devices is also important”. Childnet already work within schools in the UK and other countries to promote the positive and creative ways children and young people can use the internet for good. Combined with the expertise of (ISC)² — which has 2000 UK members — their efforts with this programme could be significant. If you are an (ISC)² member and want to get involved, please contact [email protected].
Infosecurity Today November/December 2006
Wikipedia just as ‘wiki’ as ever, says Wales Brian McKenna
W
ikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told delegates to a recent CSI infosec conference in Florida to beware news stories about his organization locking down content. Wales cited a New York Times story that anyone can edit Wikipedia entries and a BBC story that the site was ‘not as wiki as
it used to be’ as examples of press disinformation. The web site’s President outlined a vision of “a free encyclopaedia for every single person on the plane in their own language” in a keynote speech. Two hundred and fifty thousand articles in each language with one million plus native
speakers is the Wikipedia goal, he said. Meantime, he countered suggestions of lack of editorial quality. Half of the articles in the English Wikipedia are written by 615 people, he reported.“It is a small, tight-knit community which is intensely intellectually passionate about quality”, he said.
Wales predicted that the next decade will bring a “broader free culture with new projects, like Wikipedia, but in the fields of music and film”. “We are at the beginning of a media revolution, with ‘creative commons’ sites like Flickr”, he asserted.
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(ISC)² joins forces with Childnet in internet safety campaign Eleanor Dallaway
M
embers of (ISC)² and Childnet, a charity devoted to making the internet a safe place for children, have announced a scheme to promote internet security awareness in British schools. John Colley, a consultant for a major UK finance institution, described the project as “an exciting initiative that will hopefully be used as a model for other professions”. Colley also serves on the board of directors for (ISC)², the CISSP certification body. “With (ISC)² experts doing all the training”, he explained, “we maintain high quality around the programme. It is an opportunity for anybody that holds one of our credentials to do some volunteer work in their local community”. The scheme is to pilot in the UK this year, with training beginning in October, and the schooling to begin in November. Colley expressed hope that if the scheme is successful, it will expand to include schools all over Europe. Colley has other plans for expansion too:“We are also considering doing a similar program with small local businesses, an area in which we think that as a society, we are particularly vulnerable”.This training would include advice on data protection, patching machines “and all the really basic stuff that corporates take for advantage, but is quite a vulnerability”.
Enabler and danger? The programme hopes to provide the right balance between promoting the internet as a great resource, and highlighting the importance of using it safely and responsibly. It is aimed at 11-13 year olds.“They are generally more sophisticated internet users”, said Colley.When asked about the motive behind this target audience, he said:“a lot of the training material fits directly into their curriculum”.Young children however, are beginning to use computers and the internet more and more, and are surely in need of this education too? Colley acknowledged this demand,“we will review the scheme at the end of the year, if it successful, we will be sending it to primary schools and more secondary schools”. Although the internet is a great enabler, there are dangers involved with using such technology.“There have been many cases of undesirable people grooming children and children need to be aware of this. A security professional can explain to them how the internet is a very anonymous place and it is very difficult to track people down, and can therefore be very dangerous”. Such brutal realities, however, run the risk of scaring children into not using the internet. Colley insists that this programme will not do this. “We don’t want to detract in any way from the very positive aspects of IT technology”.
Childnet are working closely with (ISC)² to compile materials such as hand-outs, take-aways and information packs which will become available to the children during the presentations. They will also be the opportunity for question and answer sessions. The importance of anti-virus protection Colley is eager to point out that the scheme is not solely about warning children about the dangers of visiting inappropriate websites and using IM, but also about the importance of anti-virus software and patches for their computers: “We want to lay good foundations for good practices later in life. If we catch them young and explain that it is a place where you have to be careful about what you do and protect your information, then hopefully as they become young adults, they will protect their personal information from identity theft because they’ve had their grounding in school”. Hugely popular with children and young adults, instant messaging and chat rooms are unfortunately home to the biggest threats.Talking to someone who you may not know on a one-to-one basis can be incredibly dangerous.These risks must be bought to attention.“Parents need to be addressed too”, said Colley,“in regard to software
that should be installed to stop children from entering sites that they should not be accessing”. More than just internet awareness The programme will also look at mobile phone security. The promotion of safe and responsible use of mobiles is becoming more and more important due to new technologies such as Bluetooth, which enables other mobile phone owners to access information and files from another activated mobile. With many children owning mobile phones, Colley lists some of the dangers that they will be exposing. “Basic things, like putting PIN numbers on SIM cards, not using a phone while walking down a street without many people around, decisions regarding contract or pay as you go phones. Ensuring acceptable use of built-in cameras and recording devices is also important”. Childnet already work within schools in the UK and other countries to promote the positive and creative ways children and young people can use the internet for good. Combined with the expertise of (ISC)² — which has 2000 UK members — their efforts with this programme could be significant. If you are an (ISC)² member and want to get involved, please contact [email protected].
Infosecurity Today November/December 2006
Wikipedia just as ‘wiki’ as ever, says Wales Brian McKenna
W
ikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told delegates to a recent CSI infosec conference in Florida to beware news stories about his organization locking down content. Wales cited a New York Times story that anyone can edit Wikipedia entries and a BBC story that the site was ‘not as wiki as
it used to be’ as examples of press disinformation. The web site’s President outlined a vision of “a free encyclopaedia for every single person on the plane in their own language” in a keynote speech. Two hundred and fifty thousand articles in each language with one million plus native
speakers is the Wikipedia goal, he said. Meantime, he countered suggestions of lack of editorial quality. Half of the articles in the English Wikipedia are written by 615 people, he reported.“It is a small, tight-knit community which is intensely intellectually passionate about quality”, he said.
Wales predicted that the next decade will bring a “broader free culture with new projects, like Wikipedia, but in the fields of music and film”. “We are at the beginning of a media revolution, with ‘creative commons’ sites like Flickr”, he asserted.
6