ConnectSafely Releases A Parents' Guide to Cybersecurity

Guide provides families with the best ways to keep everybody's devices and the home network secure

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ConnectSafely.org, a leading Internet safety nonprofit organization, today announced the publication of A Parents' Guide to Cybersecurity, answering the Top 5 questions parents have about keeping computers, phones and family networks safe and secure:

• What are the biggest security threats to kids?
• How do I talk with my child about security?
• How do we protect our family's computers?
• How do we protect our mobile devices?
• Why do we always hear "Never share your passwords"? 

Written by ConnectSafely.org co-directors Larry Magid and Anne Collier, A Parents' Guide to Cybersecurity provides basic, down-to-earth information about how to protect family identities, devices, network and data for safe, constructive use of connected technology. Unlike most security guides, it's focused on kids and families with a special section on the types of risks faced most often by children and teens, and parents who share devices with them.

"Security is everyone's business," said ConnectSafely.org co-director, Larry Magid. "There's no such thing as 100% security – even big companies and governments can get hacked – but by taking reasonable precautions, we can greatly reduce the chances of things going wrong," he added.

"ConnectSafely's new guide for parents on cybersecurity is a terrific resource for families," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "We are thrilled that the guide is being released to coincide with the launch of 10th National Cyber Security Awareness Month [Oct. 1], a time for everyone to take steps to stay safer and more secure online."

"As a parent who has worked in the security industry for over a decade," said Lynette Owens, Trend Micro director of Internet Safety for Kids and Families, "it's clear to me that our kids are more likely to encounter the work of cybercriminals than possibly any of the other risks we talk about in the world of online safety. Education of these issues is paramount to raising this generation, and guides like this help us further this goal."

The guide, which joins ConnectSafely's parents' guides to Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Google+, are available at ConnectSafely.org/guides. ConnectSafely has also launched its Cybersecurity Center with links to the guide and other important resources at ConnectSafely.org/security.

ConnectSafely.org is a member of the Stop.Think.Connect. National Network.

About ConnectSafely

ConnectSafely is a non-profit organization with resources for parents, teens, educators, advocates, policy makers. Find us at ConnectSafely.org, Twitter.com/ConnectSafely and Facebook.com/ConnectSafely.

SOURCE ConnectSafely.org