Don’t Let The Web Trap U

DUBAI — Online dangers to kids go beyond inappropriate web site content, say threat researchers in the UAE.

While many parents know about the dangers in the form of inappropriate web site content, cyber-bullying or online predators, threat researchers are reporting a less well known rise in “good” web sites that secretly hide “bad” code planted by profit-driven cyber criminals as a way to infiltrate a user’s computer and steal personal data such as credit card numbers and bank account information. 

“Even if a young person is never approached by online predators or taunted by cyber-bullies, there are still risks involved in web surfing that may not be apparent to either themselves or to their parents,” says Lynette Owens, director of community outreach for Dubai-based Trend Micro that provides Internet content security.

Social networking sites, for example, are hugely popular among nine- to 17-year-olds, many of whom reportedly spend just as much time visiting these sites as they do watching television.   Despite their popularity, these sites are usually built on Web 2.0 technologies and are prime targets for cybercriminals and malware authors who exploit their interactive nature to launch malicious attacks, points out Owens.

According to a recent report, Internet growth in the Middle East between 2000 and 2007 was the highest in the world at 920.2 per cent. The world average growth rate is 265.6 per cent.

Cybercriminals have also used “typo-squatting” to lure unsuspecting visitors to malicious web sites when they accidentally misspell a URL. In the past, children have been ensnared without their knowledge and directed to pornographic sites.

“Our hope is that by partnering with Common Sense Media, a US-based organisation renowned for its reviews which examine web content and the age-appropriateness of each site with critical eyes, we will be able to show parents how to consider both the substance and the security of the content they are viewing online.”

Recently, both the organisations agreed to help parents, educators and youth better understand how to get the most out of the web’s potential to inspire creativity, collaboration, and learning, as well as raise awareness on Internet security issues such as cybercrime, identity theft, spam, spyware and adware.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com