Digital Learning: Updating security levels while negotiating cyber space  

A popular meme doing the rounds on social media highlights how parents in India who used to restrict or ban their children from using computers and smart phones are now doing the exact opposite. In fact, many of them are purchasing new equipment for Digital Learning, which has become education’s ‘New Normal’ thanks to COVID-19.

While virtual classrooms or online courses have been in India for a few years, the ongoing pandemic situation has now necessitated embracing digital learning as a full-fledged practice. However, while presenting a plethora of opportunities, the concept does bring along its fair share of threats as well. Many of these are hidden out of sight, concealed in the labyrinth of cyber space.

These threats thrive in the absence of a reliable computer security solution and unfortunately, in most cases, neither Indian students nor their parents comprehend the dangers or that consequences of not taking them seriously can be dire to say the least. For instance, malware can masquerade not only as entertainment (games and TV shows) but also as educational materials.

As per Kaspersky, over the past academic year, cybercriminals targeting the field of education tried to attack its users more than 356,000 times. Of these, 233,000 cases involved malicious essays downloaded to computers owned by more than 74,000 people. About another third of the files were textbooks; Kaspersky detected 122,000 attacks by malware disguised as textbooks. More than 30,000 users tried to open those files.

Thankfully, these threats were blocked and the attempts to download spyware, banking Trojans that steal data from cards and accounts at online banks and stores, or even ransomware, were only thwarted because the users had opted to invest in Kaspersky Internet Security. Therefore, a very important step to be emphasised upon while promoting digital learning is adopting cyber security measures.

As per a report based on statistics by Kaspersky Safe Kids, a software solution that protects children from unwanted content on the Internet, the COVID-19 pandemic forced kids to study at home, attending classes online, and this has affected their time at the computer. Children in India (47.66 percent) favoured websites that offered video and music over the past year.

While educational institutions definitely need to follow strict cybersecurity measures to secure their online portals from threats, it also becomes the responsibility of individuals to follow basic security steps in order to keep themselves and their kids secure online. As the internet becomes the new world for learning, just restricting the time spent or checking a child’s browser history would not suffice in ensuring online security.

In light of this situation, there are certain aspects that parents need to take responsibility for and ensure in terms of cyber safety while their kids pursue education online:

Purchasing new devices:  While purchasing new devices it is always important to install at least an anti-virus to assure minimum security to the device while operating online.

Furthermore, installing solutions like Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) and Kaspersky Internet Security for android (KISA) provide innumerable features that help protect against malware, email-spam, phishing and hacking attacks as well as data leaks.

Increasing cybersecurity awareness amongst kids: As children spend more time on the internet now, it is possible that they may be exposed to various cyberthreats online. Threats like malware spreading through online studying materials, or emails sent to the students via fake school IDs that may contain malicious links or links directing kids to adult websites need to be addressed. Parents should keep their children informed about such threats and have reliable internet security on devices to notify them about such attempts and block them.

Kaspersky Total Security suite comes with features like safe kids that helps parents to keep a track of their kid’s activities online, and the solution also includes advanced parental controls.

Connecting devices to a secure network: The devices that are used by the children to study online can be attacked via open Wi-Fi networks that they may be connected to. Installing a solution like Kaspersky’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps in maintaining a secure private connection for the device, even when connected to public Wi-fi networks.

Individuals should also consider protecting their own Wi-Fi networks with strong and unique passwords. Open Wi-Fi networks at an individual’s home are also vulnerable and can be targeted by cybercriminals to hack the devices connected on this network. A strong VPN connection prevents this from happening by immediately notifying the consumers of any targeted attacks.

Kaspersky’s wide range of solutions for home users include Kaspersky Anti-virus, Kaspersky Internet Security for PC, Mac and Androids, Kaspersky Total Security Suite, Kaspersky Safe Kids, Kaspersky VPN solution and Kaspersky Password Manager. These solutions are available at buymysecurity