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Internet safety research.

• Bark's Annual Report: 2022 Research on Kids and Technology
• Overuse of devices and social media top parent concerns (C.S. Motts Children's Hospital, August 21, 2023)
• AFRAID, UNCERTAIN, AND OVERWHELMED: A Survey of Parents on Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
• Online Grooming: Examining risky encounters amid everyday digital socialization (Thorn, April 2022)
• Annual Report: 2021 Research on Kids and Technology | Bark
• Managing the Narrative Young People’s Use of Online Safety Tools (Family Online Safety Institute, November 2021)
• Tools for Today’s Digital Parents The role of parental controls in the digital lives of American parents and children . (Family Online Safety Institute, November 2020)
• Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry (Entertainment Software Association, 2020) 
• Association of Screen Time and Depression in Adolescence   (JAMA Pediatrics. Published online July 15, 2019)
• Online Safety Across the Generations - Executive Summary (Family Online Safety Institute, 2018)
• Global Kids Online: Research Synthesis 2015-2016
• Keeping Up with Generation App: NCSA Parent/Teen Online Safety Survey - National Cyber Security Alliance (June 2016)
• C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health (2014).
• 2014 Teen Internet Safety Survey (Cox Communications, 2014)
• Youth Internet Safety: Risks, Responses, and Research Recommendations (Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, October 2014)
• In Their Own Words:What Bothers Children Online? (EU Kids Online, February 2013)
• Anonymity, Privacy, and Security Online (Pew Internet & American Life Project, September 2013)
• Study of Self - Generated Sexually Explicit Images & Videos (International Watch Foundation, 2012)
• McAfee and NCSA Cyber Security Study (November, 2011)
• Who Needs Parental Controls?: A Survey Of Awareness, Attitudes, And Use Of Online Parental Controls (Hart Research Associates, Family Online Safety Institute, September 2011)
• Teens and Mobile Phones: Exploring Safety Issues as Mobile Phones Become the Communications Hub for American Teens (Pew Internet & American Life Project, November 9, 2010)
• Adolescence, Mobile Technology & Culture (Pew Internet & American Life Project, November 8, 2010)
• Use of Social Networking Sites in Online Sex Crimes Against Minors: An Examination of National Incidence and Means of Utilization(http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X (Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 47, Issue 2, Pages 183-190, August 2010)
• Millennials will make online sharing in networks a lifelong habit (Pew Internet & American Life Project, July 9, 2010)
• The Secret Lives of Online Teens (McAffee, June 24, 2010)
• Teens and Mobile Phones (Pew Internet & American Life Project, April 20, 2010)
• Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds (A Kaiser Family Foundation Study, January 2010).
• Sex & Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy with CosmoGirl.com, January, 2009)
• Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies: Final Report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking of State Attorneys General of the United States (Internet Safety Technical Task Force, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, December, 2008).
• 2008 National Cyberethics, Cybersafety, and Cybersecurity Baseline Study (Davina Ptuitt-Mentle, Ph.D., Educational Technology, Policy, Research and Outreach, October, 2008)
• Teens Viewing Drug and Alcohol-Related Videos Online (Custom Study for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Nielson Online, October, 2008)
• Study of the Internet and Youth "At Risk Behaviors" (Rochester Institute of Technology, September, 2008)
• Cox Communications Teen Internet Safety Survey, Wave II--in Partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and John Walsh (2007)

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Youth Internet Safety Education: Aligning Programs With the Evidence Base

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

Background: This review critically examines the messages of youth internet safety education programs in the light of research about both the dynamics of internet dangers and the efficacy of youth prevention education. Methods: Using terms “internet safety education” and “digital citizenship,” a Google search identified 12 multi-topic safety programs. Review articles were identified via Google Scholar for six forms of online harm to youth that have been targeted by many of these programs: cyberbullying (19 articles); online sexual exploitation (23 articles); sexting (19 articles); online fraud, hacking, and identity theft (6 articles); online suicide and self-harm promotion (18 articles); and internet overuse or addiction (15 articles). Findings: There appear to be mismatches between dynamics revealed in the research about internet harms and the messages emphasized in educational programs, particularly on the issues of sexual exploitation and sexting. Overall, the review literature a...

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Articles on Online safety

Displaying 1 - 20 of 60 articles.

Australia will trial ‘age assurance’ tech to bar children from online porn. What is it and will it work?

Paul Haskell-Dowland , Edith Cowan University

Albanese government flags measures to tackle online misogyny in the battle against violence towards women

Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra

Elon Musk is mad he’s been ordered to remove Sydney church stabbing videos from X. He’d be more furious if he saw our other laws

Rob Nicholls , University of Sydney

Deepfake porn: why we need to make it a crime to create it, not just share it

Clare McGlynn , Durham University

Online child safety laws could help or hurt – 2 pediatricians explain what’s likely to work and what isn’t

Megan Moreno , University of Wisconsin-Madison and Jenny Radesky , University of Michigan

Digital trade protocol for Africa: why it matters, what’s in it and what’s still missing

Franziska Sucker , University of the Witwatersrand

What is doxing, and how can you protect yourself?

Rob Cover , RMIT University

Teens on social media need both protection and privacy – AI could help get the balance right

Afsaneh Razi , Drexel University

Canada should not fall behind on implementing safety measures for children online

Azfar Adib , Concordia University

How to protect yourself from cyber-scammers over the festive period

Rachael Medhurst , University of South Wales

Protecting kids online: A guide for parents on conversations about ‘sextortion’

Camille Mori , University of Calgary and Sheri Madigan , University of Calgary

When to give your child their first mobile phone – and how to keep them safe

Andy Phippen , Bournemouth University

The vast majority of us have no idea what the padlock icon on our internet browser is – and it’s putting us at risk

Fiona Carroll , Cardiff Metropolitan University

Internet of Things: tech firms have become our digital landlords – but people are starting to fight back

Guido Noto La Diega , University of Stirling

Dark patterns: how online companies strive to keep your money and data when you try to leave

Richard Whittle , University of Salford and Stuart Mills , University of Leeds

‘My brother will pick it up, what’s your PayID?’ How to avoid this scam when selling stuff online

Cassandra Cross , Queensland University of Technology

Beginning of the end: how Elon Musk’s removal of the block function on X could trigger its hellish demise

Jay Daniel Thompson , RMIT University

Can human moderators ever really rein in harmful online content? New research says yes

Marian-Andrei Rizoiu , University of Technology Sydney and Philipp Schneider , EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

Think you might be dating a ‘vulnerable narcissist’? Look out for these red flags

Megan Willis , Australian Catholic University

Why children don’t talk to adults about the problems they encounter online

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Researcher: Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University

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• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 05 June 2013

Internet safety education for youth: stakeholder perspectives

• Megan A Moreno 1 , 4 ,
• Katie G Egan 2 ,
• Kaitlyn Bare 1 ,
• Henry N Young 3 &
• Elizabeth D Cox 1  

BMC Public Health volume  13 , Article number:  543 ( 2013 ) Cite this article

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Internet use is nearly ubiquitous among US youth; risks to internet use include cyberbullying, privacy violations and unwanted solicitation. Internet safety education may prevent these negative consequences; however, it is unclear at what age this education should begin and what group is responsible for teaching this topic.

Surveys were distributed to key stakeholders in youth safety education including public school teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents. Surveys assessed age at which internet safety education should begin, as well as experiences teaching and learning internet safety. Surveys of adults assessed willingness to teach internet safety. Finally, participants were asked to identify a group whose primary responsibility it should be to teach internet safety.

A total of 356 participants completed the survey (93.4% response rate), including 77 teachers, 111 clinicians, 72 parents and 96 adolescents. Stakeholders felt the optimal mean age to begin teaching internet safety was 7.2 years (SD = 2.5), range 2-15. Internet safety was regularly taught by some teachers (20.8%), few clinicians (2.6%) and many parents (40.3%). The majority of teachers, clinicians and parents were willing to teach internet safety, but all groups surveyed identified parents as having primary responsibility for teaching this topic.

Conclusions

Findings suggest agreement among key stakeholders for teaching internet safety at a young age, and for identifying parents as primary teachers of this topic. Clinicians have a unique opportunity to support parents by providing resources, guidance and support.

Peer Review reports

While the internet has provided adolescents with numerous benefits, including increased social support, academic enrichment and worldwide cross-cultural interactions, there are concomitant risks to internet use [ 1 – 8 ]. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recent report on children’s social media use describes specific risks such as privacy violations and cyberbullying [ 9 ]. A previous study found that one-third of adolescents had given their internet password to friends and one-fourth were unaware that content uploaded online cannot be permanently deleted [ 1 ]. Cyberbullying, or internet harassment, impacts up to a third of youth and has been linked to a variety of health concerns, some as serious as suicidal ideation [ 10 – 15 ]. In addition, adolescents frequently display personal and identifiable information about themselves on the internet. These details may include their home location, revealing photographs, or descriptions of sexual behavior and substance use [ 16 – 18 ].

Internet safety is highly salient for today’s youth as they spend up to 10 hours a day using various forms of media [ 8 , 19 , 20 ]. The ever-increasing popularity of social media, including websites such as Facebook and Twitter, have contributed to youth’s time investment in the internet [ 7 ]. The vast majority of adolescents have internet access and most report daily use [ 21 , 22 ]. Several organizations, including the AAP, have offered expert advice regarding internet safety, but an evidence-based approach to educate youth about the dangers of being online does not currently exist [ 23 ]. Further, data to guide decisions about the age at which such education should begin, and who would have primary responsibility for teaching this topic are incomplete.

An ideal approach for teaching internet safety would likely involve a person or group who could reach most children in order to provide widespread dissemination of this knowledge. An ideal candidate would also have experience teaching about the internet or related safety issues, and be willing to invest in teaching this topic. Given that most US youth and adolescents attend public school, a first possibility is public school teachers. However, it is unclear at what grades and in which school subjects this material could be integrated into existing curricula. A second possibility is child health providers such as pediatricians or family medicine physicians. The AAP social media report argues that “pediatricians are in a unique position” to provide internet safety education [ 9 ]. Several resources exist to guide pediatricians in these discussions, but it is unclear whether pediatricians are comfortable in these discussions. Previous work has suggested that pediatrician’s performance of adolescent health behavior screening and prevention counseling regarding health risk behaviors is quite low [ 24 , 25 ]. A third potential candidate is the parent of the adolescent. While adults’ use of online media such as social networking sites continues to rise, data regarding parents’ comfort or experience with teaching internet safety remains elusive [ 26 ]. While all three groups undoubtedly should play a role in online safety education, it remains unclear which group is seen as holding primary responsibility among these stakeholders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate views of key stakeholders on internet safety education, including school teachers, clinicians who see children and adolescents, parents of adolescents, and adolescents themselves. Our goals were to investigate at what age internet safety education should begin, and to identify a primary candidate to teach this topic.

This study was conducted between July 1, 2009 and August 15, 2011 and received IRB approval from the University of Wisconsin Human Subjects Committee.

Setting and subjects

Participants in this study included public school teachers, health care providers who see children and adolescents, parents of adolescents, and adolescents themselves. School teachers were recruited from a summer continuing education conference within a public school district. This district includes 4 elementary schools, one middle and one high school. Inclusion criteria limited participants to teachers who taught kindergarten through 12 th grade within that public school district. Clinicians were recruited at a yearly regional continuing medical education conference; inclusion criteria limited participants to physicians (MDs and DOs), nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and nurses, all of whose practice included pediatric patients. Parents of adolescents were identified within a large general pediatric practice that includes 8 pediatric providers. Inclusion criteria for parents were that they had a child between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Adolescents (ages 11-18 years) were identified and recruited within this same large general pediatric practice. Most parents and teens were recruited as dyads. We did not exclude parents or teens who elected to participate in the study separately because we did not compare data between parents and teens.

Data collection and recruitment

In each recruitment setting, potentially eligible participants were approached by a research assistant. After explaining the study and obtaining consent, participants completed a paper survey. Survey respondents were provided a $5 gift card as compensation.

Survey design

The goals of the survey were to understand at what age internet safety education should begin, explore the experiences of adult participants in teaching online safety or the adolescents learning about this topic, and to identify a group who has primary responsibility for teaching this topic. Thus, we included all potential survey participants in the survey design process. Surveys were designed after a review of the literature and conversations with a panel of physicians, parents and researchers. Questions were pilot-tested first with a panel and then among teachers and adolescents. In the final survey items some words were modified to make the survey clear to all groups of participants. For example, among health care provider groups the question: “For how many years have you been in practice?” was changed for teacher groups to read: “For how many years have you been teaching?” All four surveys are included as Additional files 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 .

Data sources and variables

Participants provided demographic data including gender and age. Teachers were asked to disclose the grade levels they taught, subjects taught and years of teaching experience. Clinicians were asked to provide their training background (i.e. MD, NP), field of practice (Pediatrics, Family Practice) and years in practice. Parents provided their age, gender and the ages of their children. Adolescents were asked for their age, gender and grade in school.

Age to begin teaching internet safety

Teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents were asked to provide at what age internet safety education should begin. An “other” option was presented for write-in answers.

Candidates to teach internet safety

In order to identify potential candidates to teach internet safety, participants were asked about previous experiences teaching or learning about internet safety. Then participants were asked for their own willingness to teach this subject and to identify an ideal primary candidate to teach this topic.

Experiences teaching internet safety

To describe experiences in providing internet safety education, teachers were asked how frequently they had ever taught internet safety education. Clinicians were asked how frequently they had ever counseled patients on this topic. Answer options included regularly, sometimes, never and never but plan to do so soon. Parents were asked about how frequently they talked with their child about internet safety: regularly, sometimes, never and never but plan to do so soon (Table  1 ).

Adolescents’ experiences learning about internet safety

Adolescents were asked ways in which they had learned about internet safety. A list of answer options was developed through review of the literature and the web and then piloted with several adolescents to ensure completeness. Answer options included learning from friends, siblings, parents, teachers and clinicians as well as learning by self-teaching. A write-in “other” option was also provided. Adolescents were allowed to choose all applicable answers from this list.

Willingness to teach internet safety

Teachers were asked whether or not they supported teaching internet safety education in public schools. Health care providers were asked whether or not they supported teaching internet safety education in provider offices (yes or no).

All groups, including teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents were asked to select a candidate group whom they felt had primary responsibility for teaching internet safety to children and adolescents. Based on a review of current groups engaged in teaching this subject, answer options included churches, community groups, health care providers, law enforcement, parents and teachers. An “other” option was presented for write-in answers.

All statistical data analyses were conducted using STATA version 11.0 (Statacorp, College Station, TX). Descriptive statistics were calculated for survey responses. ANOVA was used to compare mean age to begin teaching between teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents. Logistic regression was used to assess whether experience teaching internet safety was associated with years of career experience.

Participants

A total of 356 participants completed the survey (93.4% response rate), including 77 teachers, 111 clinicians, 72 parents and 96 adolescents. Teachers had an average of 14.8 (SD = 8.4) years of teaching experience. The subjects that teachers taught included: health, social studies, language arts/English, special education, health and technology/computer skills. Clinicians included 68 (61.3%) physicians, 16 (14.4%) nurse practitioners, 15 (13.5%) physician assistants and 8 (7.2%) nurses. Their practice background was mainly pediatrics (61.3%) and family practice (27.9%). Clinicians’ years of experience averaged 14.5 (SD = 10.1). Parents were 81% female. Adolescents were 62.5% female and had an average age of 15.1 (SD = 2.3). Please see Table  2 for further descriptive information.

The overall mean age at which stakeholders indicated for starting to teach internet safety was 7.2 years (SD = 2.5), range 2-15. Teachers reported that the average age at which internet safety should be taught was 6.9 years (SD = 2.1), while clinicians felt the average age to start teaching this topic should be 7.3 years (SD = 2.4). Parents felt that internet safety education should begin at age 6.6 years (SD = 2.3). There were no statistically significant differences between these groups regarding age to begin teaching internet safety (p = .2). Adolescents reported that internet safety education should begin at age 8.7 years (SD = 2.4). Please see Figure  1 for a summary of recommended ages to begin internet safety education.

Age to begin teaching internet safety to youth.

Among teachers, 16 (20.8%) reported currently teaching internet safety, 51 (66.2%) had never taught it, and 4 (7.8%) had never taught it but planned to soon. The number of years teaching was not significantly associated with the likelihood to have taught internet safety.

Among clinicians, 3.6% regularly and 55% sometimes counseled patients on internet safety. One-third of clinicians (33.3%) had never counseled or taught patients about internet safety and a few clinicians (8.1%) had no experience with this but planned to begin soon. The number of years in practice was not associated with the likelihood to have taught internet safety (p = .6).

All parents reported discussing online safety with their children either sometimes (58.3%) or regularly (40.3%).

Experiences learning internet safety

Adolescents were asked to identify ways in which they had learned about online safety. Adolescents were permitted to select all options that applied. Adolescents selected people including teachers (87.5%), parents (75%), friends (41.7%), siblings (27.1%) and clinicians (11.5%). Some adolescents indicated that they had learned internet safety by being self-taught (27.5%).

Teachers uniformly reported supporting online safety education in public schools (100%). Clinicians almost uniformly supported providing online safety education in clinicians’ offices (99.1%).

All groups selected parents as the primary candidate to teach internet safety. Among teachers, 97% ranked parents as their first choice candidate, and 3% ranked teachers as first choice. Among clinicians 97% ranked parents as first choice candidate, and 3% ranked teachers as first choice. Among parents, 96% ranked themselves as first choice candidate, and 4% ranked teachers as first choice. Among adolescents, there was more variety in answers. Most adolescents (74.7%) ranked parents as first choice candidate, 13.8% ranked teachers as first choice, 5.7% ranked law enforcement as first choice, 1.5% ranked community as first choice, 3% ranked churches as first choice and 3% wrote in answers of making a movie related to online safety and making a powerpoint regarding online safety.

The results of this study illustrate several key points regarding promoting safe internet use among youth. Findings suggest general agreement among key stakeholders for teaching internet safety at a young age, and for identifying parents as primary teachers of this topic.

First, our findings regarding the suggested age to begin teaching online safety may seem younger than expected. The suggested age range of 6 to 8 years identified by participants suggests that internet safety education could begin in early grade school, around 1 st or 2 nd grade. However, given our current society’s focus on technology, it is likely that children are being introduced to computers at ever-younger ages. Data from 2010 suggests that almost 20% of 8 to 10 year olds spend time on social networking sites daily, in the past three years it seems likely that this percentage has grown [ 20 ]. Timing safety education with the onset of internet use may allow for the concomitant development of computer skills and safety skills. As with many health teachings such as nutrition or sexual behavior, providing education to children before dangers can arise is a key strategy to help youth integrate these lessons into their lives and prevent negative consequences.

Second, our findings include a general agreement among key stakeholders that parents should hold the primary responsibility for internet safety education. These findings are supported by a recent study in which teachers felt that parents should have the primary role in teaching this topic [ 27 ]. Interestingly, we found that while parents all reported that they regularly or sometimes teach internet safety, only 75% of adolescents reported hearing from parents on this topic. These conflicting findings may be due to social desirability on the part of parents reporting their teaching efforts, or that teens may underreport their parents counseling efforts as they may not recognize parent attempts to discuss these difficult topics. Previous work has found a similar disconnect between parent and pediatrician reporting of counseling on risk behaviors [ 28 ].

Finally, our findings suggest that parents are willing teachers in providing internet safety education, and that many report some experience in this area. However, while parents may be candidates to guide their children’s digital lives, some parents may feel underprepared for the task of instructing their children who have grown up as “digital natives.” Thus, health care providers and public health educators may have an unique opportunity to support parents by providing resources, guidance and support. Pediatricians who see adolescent patients have the opportunity to serve an important and perhaps familiar role. As with many other topics of health supervision including safety, nutrition and fitness, parents are the primary source of education for their children. However, in many of these health topics, clinicians and health educators are trusted sources for parents on how to talk with their children about these issues. Some child health providers may feel untrained or unprepared to answer questions about internet safety or cyberbullying given that these are relatively recent health concerns about which much remains unknown. Pediatricians can use American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines to recommend parental supervision of internet activities, decreasing or eliminating isolated screen time (ie, moving the computer to a public space), and having open discussions about the potential dangers of electronic media [ 23 ]. Pediatricians and educators can also partner with schools or other community groups, such as law enforcement, to provide consistent and reinforced messages about internet safety.

Limitations to this study include the regional focus of our data collection. Our study aimed to draw representation of populations of teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents within our region, the excellent response rates and distribution of participants within each category support that our results are generalizable within our region. However, there are other groups who may engage in teaching internet safety that were not included in this study such as churches and community groups. Second, it is notable that our study did not provide data on what methods would be best to provide internet safety education, this is a logical next step for future study. Third, we did not specify in the context of this study whether online safety should include additional technologies such as cell phones or texting. Fourth, data was collected by self-report, thus recall bias or overestimation of experience or willingness could have impacted our findings. Based on the varied stakeholders included in this study, there was some variation in data collected from each group.

Technology is now an integral part of life, and thus, part of the health of our patients. Our findings illustrate consensus around several groups with experience and investment in working with children and adolescents that parents should have primary responsibility for teaching internet safety. Our study highlights an opportunity for pediatricians to play a collaborative role with parents, patients and teachers to address the critical topics towards improving internet safety. Given the importance of this topic for today’s youth, it is likely that collaborative efforts are needed to provide consistent education about safety in the digital world.

Authors’ information

MM is an adolescent medicine physician who conducts research on the intersection of technology and health. KE is a medical student interested in pediatrics. KB studied consumer science and is interested in ways to improve internet safety education for youth. HY is a pharmacist and researcher with interest in provision of education to patients and parents. EC is a pediatrician and researcher interested in improving health systems and communication.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by Award Number K12HD055894 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding organization had no role in the design, collection of data, analysis or interpretation on the data in this manuscript. The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Michael Swanson and Jay Farnsworth to this project.

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Megan A Moreno, Kaitlyn Bare & Elizabeth D Cox

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Katie G Egan

School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

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Megan A Moreno

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MM conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, participated in analysis and wrote the manuscript. KE and KB participated in data collection and helped to draft the manuscript. HY and EC participated in analysis and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Moreno, M.A., Egan, K.G., Bare, K. et al. Internet safety education for youth: stakeholder perspectives. BMC Public Health 13 , 543 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-543

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Received : 16 April 2012

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Published : 05 June 2013

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-543

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Internet Safety

Every year, crimes committed online result in significant financial losses for businesses and individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

In 2022, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 800,944 complaints of crimes committed online, a 5 % decrease from the 847,376 complaints reported in 2021. However, the potential total losses reported increased from $6.9 billion in 2021 to more than $10.2 billion in 2022.

Recognized since 2004, October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month —a good time to review best practices for protecting your personal information online.

Older Americans at Risk for Victimization Online

According to the FBI, adults over age 60 accounted for the most cybercrime complaints (88,262) and the highest reported losses ($3.1 billion) in 2022.

Older individuals are particularly vulnerable to identity theft crimes. In the fiscal year 2019, identity theft, fraud, and financial crimes were the second most common type of victimization reported by older victims. 

The Office for Victims of Crime supports the National Elder Fraud Hotline to help combat fraud against older Americans and provide services to victims. This free resource helps victims navigate federal, state, and local crime reporting processes.

Internet Safety for Youth

Children and teenagers can also be vulnerable to online crimes—tricked by anonymous predators because they do not recognize suspicious behavior or activity online.

Developed with support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Safety Pledge website provides free resources to help parents, educators, and other caregivers learn about the risks children face online and how to help them respond safely.

OJJDP also supports 61 Internet Crimes Against Children task forces nationwide to help law enforcement agencies respond to online child victimization.

One common type of internet crime that impacts children is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices.

Reports of cyberbullying in public schools have risen over the past decade. During the 2019–2020 school year, 16% of public schools reported cyberbullying occurring among students at least once a week. In comparison, 8% of schools noted cyberbullying issues during the 2009–2010 school year, according to the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2022 .

Research supported by the National Institute of Justice found that school-based programs specifically designed to prevent or curb cyberbullying are better at reducing cyberbullying than general anti-bullying programs.

How OJP Supports Law Enforcement Investigating Crimes Involving Technology

The Law Enforcement Cyber Center , supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, assists law enforcement personnel, digital forensic investigators, and prosecutors who investigate and work to prevent crimes involving technology.

The Dark Web has emerged as an important hub of criminal commerce. In this fully functioning marketplace, hidden customers can buy from hidden sellers with relative confidence, often with customer ratings available. A report supported by NIJ titled “Identifying Law Enforcement Needs for Conducting Criminal Investigations Involving Evidence on the Dark Web” explores better ways for law enforcement to investigate dark web crimes.

More on Internet Safety from OJP

Visit the following pages for additional information and resources produced or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs and other federal agencies:

• Coerced online child sexual abuse
• Cyberflashing
• Livestreaming
• Misinformation
• Online Bullying
• Online Challenges
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• Pornography
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Parents and Carers
• Teachers and school staff
• Children and young people
• Grandparents
• Governors and trustees
• Social workers
• Foster carers and adoptive parents
• Residential care settings
• Healthcare Professionals
• Social media guides
• Safe remote learning hub
• Trusted Flagger Guidance
• Training and events

Research summaries from the Evidence Group of the UK Council for Internet Safety

Research and evidence is vital to inform the promotion of a safer online environment for children. The UKCIS Evidence Group provides  UKCIS  (formerly known as UKCCIS) with a timely, critical and rigorous account of the relevant research. It includes representatives from academia, NGOs and police, and meets regularly in order to identify, evaluate and commission new research relevant to child internet safety.

The Research Highlights Series overviews new findings as they become available. The Evidence Group exercises editorial control over the selection and production of these Research Highlights, and we invite researchers and stakeholders to inform us of recent and ongoing research.

Research Highlight Series

Two page summaries of the latest research findings.

Additional Reports and Resources

Reports, presentations and reviews from the Evidence Group of UKCIS.

Evidence Group Members

A full list of the members of the Evidence Group of the UK Council for Internet Safety.

Background about the aim and scope of the Evidence Group of the UK Council for Internet Safety.

How to submit

Guidelines for submitting a Research Highlight for the Evidence Group.

What is good quality research?

A guide from the from the UKCIS Evidence Group to introduce principles of good quality research.

The research documents on this web page do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department for Education or UKCIS members, including its Executive Board. They provide evidence and statistics which may inform UKCIS’s direction and work.

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Top 15 internet safety rules and what not to do online

So much of our daily life revolves around the internet, from work to education and even talking with friends. A  2021 survey  found that the average US household had around 25 internet-connected devices, up from 11 in 2019. The more online accounts and devices you have, the greater the scope for cybercriminals to cause you harm. That’s why it's now ever more essential to understand internet safety rules which protect you and your family from threats that may harm your data and devices. Read on to find out about key internet dangers and the ways to stay safe online.

The Key Dangers of the Internet

When you and your family use the internet, you are (often unknowingly) exposing yourself to a wide range of potential online threats. Digital landscapes as we know them are constantly evolving as cybercriminals devise new ways to target internet users. Here is a list of just some of the biggest internet dangers you and your family need to watch out for:

• Identity theft.
• Data breaches.
• Malware and viruses.
• Phishing and scam emails.
• Fake websites.
• Online scams.
• Romance scams.
• Inappropriate content.
• Cyberbullying.
• Faulty privacy settings.

Essential Internet Safety Tips

To avoid all of these dangers, we recommend following our essential internet safety tips when you or your family are online:

1. Make sure you’re using a secure internet connection

Although using public Wi-Fi is not recommended, it’s sometimes unavoidable when you are out and about. However, when you go online in a public place and use a  public Wi-Fi  connection, you have no direct control over its security, which could leave you vulnerable to cyberattacks. So, if you are using public Wi-Fi, avoid carrying out personal transactions that use sensitive data, such as online banking or online shopping.

If you need to do any one of these, use a  Virtual Private Network or VPN . A VPN will protect any of the data you send over an unsecured network via real-time encryption. If you don't use a VPN, we recommend saving any personal transactions until you can use a trusted internet connection. You can find out more about what a VPN is here .

2. Choose strong passwords

Passwords are one of the biggest weak spots when it comes to cybersecurity. People often choose passwords that are easy to remember and, therefore, easy for hackers to crack with hacking software. In addition to this, using the same password for multiple sites puts your data at further risk. If hackers obtain your credentials from one site, they can potentially access other websites which use the same login details.

Select  strong passwords  that are harder for cybercriminals to crack. A strong password is:

• Long – made up of at least 12 characters (ideally more).
• A mix of characters – upper-case and lower-case letters plus symbols and numbers.
• Avoids the obvious – such as using sequential numbers (“1234”) or personal information that someone who knows you might guess (or that might already be online), such as your date of birth or a pet’s name.
• Avoids memorable keyboard paths.

Using a  password manager  can help. Password managers help users create strong passwords, store them in a digital vault (which is protected by a single master password) and retrieve them when logging into accounts online.

3. Enable multi-factor authentication where you can

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that asks users to provide two or more verification methods to access an online account. For example, instead of simply asking for a username or password, multifactor authentication goes further by requesting additional information, such as:

• An extra one-time password that the website's authentication servers send to the user's phone or email address.
• Answers to personal security questions.
• A fingerprint or other biometric information, such as voice or face recognition.

Multifactor authentication decreases the likelihood of a successful cyberattack. To make your online accounts more secure, it’s a good idea to implement multifactor authentication where possible. You can also consider using a third-party authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator or Authy, to help with your internet security.

4. Keep software and operating systems updated

Developers are constantly working to make products safe, monitoring the latest threats and rolling out security patches in case of vulnerabilities in their software. By using the latest versions of your operating systems and apps, you will benefit from the latest security patches. This is especially important for apps that contain payment, health or other sensitive information about a user.

5. Check that websites look and feel reliable

For any website you visit, especially ones you transact with (such as e-commerce sites), it's crucial that they are reliable. A key element to look out for is an SSL/security certificate . This means, lookout for URLs that start with “HTTPS” rather than “HTTP” (the “S” stands for “secure”) and have a padlock icon in the address bar. Other trust signals include:

• Text which is free from spelling and grammar mistakes – reputable brands will make an effort to ensure their websites are well-written and proofread.
• Images that are not pixelated and fit the screen's width correctly.
• Ads that feel organic and are not too overpowering.
• No sudden changes in color or theme. In some cases, where users have interacted with a particular website and returned to a familiar page from a link, subtle color or design changes might indicate forgery.
• The accepted standards of online payments – legitimate ecommerce websites use credit or debit card portals or PayPal, only. If a website is using another form of digital money transfer to accept payments, it is probably fraudulent.

6. Review your privacy settings and understand privacy policies

Marketers love to know all about you, and so do hackers. Both can learn a lot from your browsing and social media usage. But you can take charge of how much information third-parties can access. Both web browsers and mobile operating systems have settings to protect your privacy online. Social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, amongst others, have privacy-enhancing settings that you can activate. It’s worth taking a while to review your privacy settings across the board and make sure they are set to a level you are comfortable with.

Many of us accept privacy policies without reading them, but with so much data used for marketing and advertising (and hacking) purposes, it's a good idea to review the privacy policies of websites and apps you use, in order to understand how your data is collected and analyzed. However, bear in mind that even if your settings are set to private, very little data online is totally private. Hackers, website administrators and law enforcement could still have access to the information you regard as private.

7. Be careful of suspicious links and where you click

A careless click can expose your personal data online or infect your device with  malware . That’s why it's essential to browse consciously and avoid certain types of online content – such as links from untrusted sources and spam emails, online quizzes, clickbait, ‘free’ offers or unsolicited ads.

If you receive an email that you're not sure about, avoid clicking on any links in it or opening any attachments.

In fact, it's best to avoid opening untrusted emails at all. If you’re not sure whether an email is legitimate or not, go directly to the source. For example, if you receive a suspicious email from your “bank”, call your bank and ask them if the email is genuine.

When you’re on a website, make sure links click through to relevant or expected topics. For example, if you click on a link that you think is about safaris in Africa, but instead you're taken to a clickbait-style page about celebrity weight loss or a “where are they now?” style piece, then quickly close the page.

8. Make sure your devices are secure

With up to 60% of people using mobile devices for shopping and finding information online, instead of a desktop, it’s important that they are secured correctly. With all your devices – phones, computers, tablets, smartwatches, smart TVs, etc. – it's good practice to use passwords or passcodes and other security options like fingerprint readers or face-scanning technology. These measures will reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack or your personal data being stolen by hackers.

9. Backup data regularly

It's important to backup important personal information on external hard drives and regularly create new backups.  Ransomware  – a type of malware – involves cybercriminals locking your computer so you can’t access valuable files. Backing up your data – and your family’s data – helps mitigate the impact of a ransomware attack. You can protect yourself further with appropriate security software. Other forms of malware deny you access to your personal data by overwhelming your system or simply deleting files, so be careful.

10. Close unused accounts

Over the years, many of us accumulate old accounts that we no longer use. These can be a weak link in terms of safety when using the internet – not only are old accounts more likely to have weaker passwords, but some of those sites may have poor data protection policies. In addition, cybercriminals could piece together the information you have left in them, for example, old social media profiles – such as your date of birth or location, etc. – to build up a picture of your identity in an attempt to hack you later. As a result, we recommend closing your old online accounts and requesting that your data be deleted from the relevant third-party servers.

11. Be careful what you download

A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware, which can be used to open a “backdoor” to your machine. Malware might be disguised as an app – anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather. Or, it could be hidden on a malicious website that attempts to install malware on your device.

Malware causes damage – such as disrupting how your device operates, stealing your personal data or allowing unauthorized access to your machine. This usually requires some action on your part, but there are also  drive-by downloads , where a website attempts to install software on your computer without asking for permission first. Think carefully before visiting a new website or downloading anything onto your device, and only download content from trusted or official sources. Regularly check your download folders and if unknown files appear on your system (potentially, from a drive-by), delete them immediately.

12. Be careful what you post and where

The internet does not have a delete key. Any comment or image you post online may stay online forever because removing the original won’t remove any copies that other people may have made. There is no way for you to ‘take back’ a comment you wish you hadn't made or remove an embarrassing image you posted. So, don't put anything online that you would not want a parent or prospective employer to see.

Similarly, be careful about disclosing personal information about yourself online. For example, avoid disclosing your social security number, address or date of birth in social media bios. You wouldn't hand personal information out to strangers individually, so don't hand it out to millions of people online.

Be careful about where you display or submit your email address. It's good to have a secondary, throwaway email account that you use solely for email sign-ups and subscriptions, separate from the one you use for friends and family, and separate from the one you use for work.

13. Be careful who you meet online

People you meet online are not always who they claim to be. Indeed, they may not even be real. Fake social media profiles are a popular way for hackers to groom unwary internet users and pick their cyber pockets. Apply the same caution in your online social life as you would for your in-person social life. This is particularly true with  the rise of online dating scams in recent years .

14. Double check online information

Sadly, fake news, misinformation and disinformation are all present on the internet. It's easy to feel lost with the flood of information we're exposed to every day. If you read something you are unsure of, do your own research to establish the facts. Reliable websites will have references to the original information and source materials. Suspicious pages won’t offer any references at all. Read  our guide to spotting fake news here .

15. Use a good antivirus and keep it updated

As well as following safety tips for online behavior, it's essential to use a good quality antivirus provider . Internet security software guards your devices and data and blocks common threats like viruses and malware (plus complex ones like spy apps, “cryptolockers” and XSS attacks). As with all operating systems and apps, it's essential to keep your antivirus updated to stay ahead of the latest cyberthreats.

3 Online safety rules for the kids

Although many of the tips to stay safe online are the same for adults and children, they are not easy or straightforward to explain. Often, children can accidentally be a gateway for malicious actors to gain access to your digital systems. It is therefore important to teach your kids the essentials of staying safe online in order to protect your home network from any unwanted accidents. Here are 3 areas that you should cover:

Digital Footprint

Your digital footprint, what exists of you online after usage, is an important concept that children need to know about. When teaching children about this, it’s important to focus on how information is readily available and how others could interact with this data (for example, email addresses and usernames that contain identifying information, which could be used for criminal activity). Wider discussions can also come from this, such as sharing content online (through social media, gaming accounts and emails). Make sure to clearly state what content is not allowed on the internet (photos, address, phone numbers and middle names).

Strong passwords are integral to modern cybersecurity measures today. Instructing children from a young age about the importance of strong passwords (ones that consists of at least 12 characters and are a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols) and their appropriate storage is one of the simplest ways to make the internet safer for your family. This is also why it can be very useful to have a password management system that can automatically fill in password credentials for different websites.

Communication

One of the most accessed routes for all manner of cybercriminal, online messaging and communication is a “must-have” conversation for your children’s safety. Primarily, it is important to explain how to identify and avoid messages, suspicious links, downloads or emails from strangers asking for identifying information online. This can also lead to a wider discussion about how to detect phishing scams and fake websites. The second most important part of safe online communication is correct engagement with others. Much like the real world, staying safe can sometimes depend on staying vigilant, engaging in polite communication and learning how to identify and not engage with bullying. Educate your child on what cyberbullying looks like and how to act kindly to others online.

Recommended products:

• Kaspersky Safe Kids
• Kaspersky Home Security
• Kaspersky Password Manager

Further reading:

• Do’s and don’ts for teaching internet safety to kids
• What is a security breach and how to avoid one?
• What is a Digital Footprint?
• Spam & Phishing | Phishing Scam Threats

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60+ Latest Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

Home Blog Security 60+ Latest Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

The concept of cybersecurity refers to cracking the security mechanisms that break in dynamic environments. Implementing Cyber Security Project topics and cybersecurity thesis topics helps overcome attacks and take mitigation approaches to security risks and threats in real-time. Undoubtedly, it focuses on events injected into the system, data, and the whole network to attack/disturb it.

The network can be attacked in various ways, including Distributed DoS, Knowledge Disruptions, Computer Viruses / Worms, and many more. Cyber-attacks are still rising, and more are waiting to harm their targeted systems and networks. Detecting Intrusions in cybersecurity has become challenging due to their Intelligence Performance. Therefore, it may negatively affect data integrity, privacy, availability, and security. 

This article aims to demonstrate the most current Cyber Security Topics for Projects and areas of research currently lacking. We will talk about cyber security research questions, cyber security topics for the project, latest research titles about cyber security.

List of Trending Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

Digital technology has revolutionized how all businesses, large or small, work, and even governments manage their day-to-day activities, requiring organizations, corporations, and government agencies to utilize computerized systems. To protect data against online attacks or unauthorized access, cybersecurity is a priority. There are many Cyber Security Courses online where you can learn about these topics. With the rapid development of technology comes an equally rapid shift in Cyber Security Research Topics and cybersecurity trends, as data breaches, ransomware, and hacks become almost routine news items. In 2024, these will be the top cybersecurity trends.

A. Exciting Mobile Cyber Security Research Paper Topics

• The significance of continuous user authentication on mobile gadgets. 
• The efficacy of different mobile security approaches. 
• Detecting mobile phone hacking. 
• Assessing the threat of using portable devices to access banking services. 
• Cybersecurity and mobile applications. 
• The vulnerabilities in wireless mobile data exchange. 
• The rise of mobile malware. 
• The evolution of Android malware.
• How to know you’ve been hacked on mobile. 
• The impact of mobile gadgets on cybersecurity. 

B. Top Computer and Software Security Topics to Research

• Learn algorithms for data encryption 
• Concept of risk management security 
• How to develop the best Internet security software 
• What are Encrypting Viruses- How does it work? 
• How does a Ransomware attack work? 
• Scanning of malware on your PC 
• Infiltrating a Mac OS X operating system 
• What are the effects of RSA on network security ? 
• How do encrypting viruses work?
• DDoS attacks on IoT devices 

C. Trending Information Security Research Topics

• Why should people avoid sharing their details on Facebook? 
• What is the importance of unified user profiles? 
• Discuss Cookies and Privacy  
• White hat and black hat hackers 
• What are the most secure methods for ensuring data integrity? 
• Talk about the implications of Wi-Fi hacking apps on mobile phones 
• Analyze the data breaches in 2024
• Discuss digital piracy in 2024
• critical cyber-attack concepts 
• Social engineering and its importance 

D. Current Network Security Research Topics

• Data storage centralization
• Identify Malicious activity on a computer system. 
• Firewall 
• Importance of keeping updated Software  
• wireless sensor network 
• What are the effects of ad-hoc networks  
• How can a company network be safe? 
• What are Network segmentation and its applications? 
• Discuss Data Loss Prevention systems  
• Discuss various methods for establishing secure algorithms in a network. 
• Talk about two-factor authentication

E. Best Data Security Research Topics

• Importance of backup and recovery 
• Benefits of logging for applications 
• Understand physical data security 
• Importance of Cloud Security 
• In computing, the relationship between privacy and data security 
• Talk about data leaks in mobile apps 
• Discuss the effects of a black hole on a network system. 

F. Important Application Security Research Topics

• Detect Malicious Activity on Google Play Apps 
• Dangers of XSS attacks on apps 
• Discuss SQL injection attacks. 
• Insecure Deserialization Effect 
• Check Security protocols 

G. Cybersecurity Law & Ethics Research Topics

• Strict cybersecurity laws in China 
• Importance of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. 
• USA, UK, and other countries' cybersecurity laws  
• Discuss The Pipeline Security Act in the United States 

H. Recent Cyberbullying Topics

• Protecting your Online Identity and Reputation 
• Online Safety 
• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying 
• Dealing with Bullying 
• Stress Center for Teens 

I. Operational Security Topics

• Identify sensitive data 
• Identify possible threats 
• Analyze security threats and vulnerabilities 
• Appraise the threat level and vulnerability risk 
• Devise a plan to mitigate the threats 

J. Cybercrime Topics for a Research Paper

• Crime Prevention. 
• Criminal Specialization. 
• Drug Courts. 
• Criminal Courts. 
• Criminal Justice Ethics. 
• Capital Punishment.
• Community Corrections. 
• Criminal Law. 

Cyber Security Future Research Topics

• Developing more effective methods for detecting and responding to cyber attacks
• Investigating the role of social media in cyber security
• Examining the impact of cloud computing on cyber security
• Investigating the security implications of the Internet of Things
• Studying the effectiveness of current cyber security measures
• Identifying new cyber security threats and vulnerabilities
• Developing more effective cyber security policies
• Examining the ethical implications of cyber security

Cyber Security Topics For Research Paper

• Cyber security threats and vulnerabilities
• Cyber security incident response and management
• Cyber security risk management
• Cyber security awareness and training
• Cyber security controls and countermeasures
• Cyber security governance
• Cyber security standards
• Cyber security insurance
• Cyber security and the law
• The future of cyber security

5 Current Research Topics in Cybersecurity

Below are the latest 5 cybersecurity research topics. They are:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Supply Chains
• Internet of Things
• State-Sponsored Attacks
• Working From Home

Research Area in Cyber Security

The field of cyber security is extensive and constantly evolving. Its research covers a wide range of subjects, including: 

• Quantum & Space  
• Data Privacy  
• Criminology & Law 
• AI & IoT Security
• RFID Security
• Authorisation Infrastructure
• Digital Forensics
• Autonomous Security
• Social Influence on Social Networks

How to Choose the Best Research Topics in Cyber Security

A good cybersecurity assignment heading is a skill that not everyone has, and unfortunately, not everyone has one. You might have your teacher provide you with the topics, or you might be asked to come up with your own. If you want more research topics, you can take references from Certified Ethical Hacker Certification, where you will get more hints on new topics. If you don't know where to start, here are some tips. Follow them to create compelling cybersecurity assignment topics. 

1. Brainstorm

In order to select the most appropriate heading for your cybersecurity assignment, you first need to brainstorm ideas. What specific matter do you wish to explore? In this case, come up with relevant topics about the subject and select those relevant to your issue when you use our list of topics. You can also go to cyber security-oriented websites to get some ideas. Using any blog post on the internet can prove helpful if you intend to write a research paper on security threats in 2024. Creating a brainstorming list with all the keywords and cybersecurity concepts you wish to discuss is another great way to start. Once that's done, pick the topics you feel most comfortable handling. Keep in mind to stay away from common topics as much as possible. 

2. Understanding the Background

In order to write a cybersecurity assignment, you need to identify two or three research paper topics. Obtain the necessary resources and review them to gain background information on your heading. This will also allow you to learn new terminologies that can be used in your title to enhance it. 

3. Write a Single Topic

Make sure the subject of your cybersecurity research paper doesn't fall into either extreme. Make sure the title is neither too narrow nor too broad. Topics on either extreme will be challenging to research and write about. 

4. Be Flexible

There is no rule to say that the title you choose is permanent. It is perfectly okay to change your research paper topic along the way. For example, if you find another topic on this list to better suit your research paper, consider swapping it out. 

The Layout of Cybersecurity Research Guidance

It is undeniable that usability is one of cybersecurity's most important social issues today. Increasingly, security features have become standard components of our digital environment, which pervade our lives and require both novices and experts to use them. Supported by confidentiality, integrity, and availability concerns, security features have become essential components of our digital environment.  

In order to make security features easily accessible to a wider population, these functions need to be highly usable. This is especially true in this context because poor usability typically translates into the inadequate application of cybersecurity tools and functionality, resulting in their limited effectiveness. 

Writing Tips from Expert

Additionally, a well-planned action plan and a set of useful tools are essential for delving into Cyber Security Research Topics. Not only do these topics present a vast realm of knowledge and potential innovation, but they also have paramount importance in today's digital age. Addressing the challenges and nuances of these research areas will contribute significantly to the global cybersecurity landscape, ensuring safer digital environments for all. It's crucial to approach these topics with diligence and an open mind to uncover groundbreaking insights.

• Before you begin writing your research paper, make sure you understand the assignment. 
• Your Research Paper Should Have an Engaging Topic 
• Find reputable sources by doing a little research 
• Precisely state your thesis on cybersecurity 
• A rough outline should be developed 
• Finish your paper by writing a draft 
• Make sure that your bibliography is formatted correctly and cites your sources. 

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Studies in the literature have identified and recommended guidelines and recommendations for addressing security usability problems to provide highly usable security. The purpose of such papers is to consolidate existing design guidelines and define an initial core list that can be used for future reference in the field of Cyber Security Research Topics.

The researcher takes advantage of the opportunity to provide an up-to-date analysis of cybersecurity usability issues and evaluation techniques applied so far. As a result of this research paper, researchers and practitioners interested in cybersecurity systems who value human and social design elements are likely to find it useful. You can find KnowledgeHut’s Cyber Security courses online and take maximum advantage of them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Businesses and individuals are changing how they handle cybersecurity as technology changes rapidly - from cloud-based services to new IoT devices. 

Ideally, you should have read many papers and know their structure, what information they contain, and so on if you want to write something of interest to others. 

The field of cyber security is extensive and constantly evolving. Its research covers various subjects, including Quantum & Space, Data Privacy, Criminology & Law, and AI & IoT Security. 

Inmates having the right to work, transportation of concealed weapons, rape and violence in prison, verdicts on plea agreements, rehab versus reform, and how reliable are eyewitnesses? 

Mrinal Prakash

I am a B.Tech Student who blogs about various topics on cyber security and is specialized in web application security

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Internet Safety for Kids  - Teaching Kids About Internet Safety

Internet safety for kids  -, teaching kids about internet safety, internet safety for kids teaching kids about internet safety.

Internet Safety for Kids: Teaching Kids About Internet Safety

Lesson 1: teaching kids about internet safety,  teaching kids about internet safety.

The Internet can be a wonderful place to learn, shop, play games, and talk to your friends. Unfortunately, there are also predators, identity thieves, and others online who may try to harm you. In order to be safe online, it's important for you and your kids to be aware of the dangers.

Many kids are confident that they know how to be safe online. However, there are a few reasons kids are often more at risk. They may not always think about the consequences of their actions, which can cause them to share too much information about themselves. Kids also are sometimes specifically targeted by cyberbullies or predators.

If you're a parent or guardian, you can help to keep your kids safe by talking to them about their Internet use , teaching them about online dangers , and learning everything you can about the Internet so you can make informed decisions.

About this tutorial

This tutorial is designed for any parent or guardian who wants to learn how to keep their kids safe online. You may want to review our Internet Safety tutorial first so you'll have a basic understanding of online safety. Throughout this tutorial, we'll link to other resources you can use if you want more information. We'll also link to some activities, videos, and other resources that are geared toward kids and teens. You may want to show these resources to your kids or even work through them together.

If you want to learn the basics of using the Internet, you can also check out our Internet Basics , Email 101 , and Beyond Email tutorials.

Understanding online dangers

In order to keep your kids safe, you'll need to know about the different types of online dangers that exist. For example, kids and teens may find inappropriate content on the Internet, such as pornography or obscene language. There is also a possibility of cyberbullying or cyberharassment from others online. This does not mean your child will encounter all of these threats. However, knowing about the dangers can help you and your kids make smart decisions online.

Review the interactive below to learn about some of the dangers kids can encounter online.

Malware is malicious software that is designed to damage your computer or steal your personal information . It includes viruses, spyware, and other types of software.

Malware is often secretly bundled with other software, and it can also infect email attachments.

Cyber-stalking

Cyber-stalking is any kind of harassment or threatening behavior that occurs online. It can happen through instant messaging, text messaging, email, or social networks. If the perpetrator is a child or teen, it is often called cyberbullying .

In the online world, piracy refers to illegally sharing copyrighted materials . This can include music, movies, TV shows, and software. For many kids, sharing files may seem innocent, but it can result in stiff penalties.

Phishing is a type of scam where the scammer tries to trick you into revealing your personal information . Usually, it involves an email, instant message, or website that is designed to look like it's from a legitimate company.

The Internet contains a lot of content you probably don't want your kids to see, including pornography, violent content, and vulgar language .

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs online , often through instant messaging, text messaging, email, and social networks.

Cyberbullies may be the same age as the victims, or they may be older. If the perpetrator is an adult, it is generally called cyber-stalking or cyberharassment .

Revealing too much

Many kids and teens like to post photos and share information about themselves. In some cases, this information can be used by online predators .

It's also possible for an embarrassing photo to damage a kid's or teen's reputation . This can affect their social life, and it may even come back to haunt them years later when they're applying for a job.

Other types of dangers

Whenever someone uses a computer, there is a risk of eye strain , wrist strain , and other injuries . You can help prevent this by limiting the amount of time your kids spend on computers and mobile devices. For tips on avoiding injury, read Creating a Safe Workspace in our Computer Basics tutorial.

There's also another reason to limit your kids' Internet use: Because people are spending more and more time online, Internet addiction is becoming a more significant problem. Internet use can be a good thing, but if it becomes an addiction it can affect a person's offline life.

Places where dangers can occur

It's important for kids to be careful whenever they're connected to the Internet because online dangers are not just limited to bad websites . Chat rooms, computer games, and even social networking sites can be risky. If your kids have mobile phones, they'll also need to be careful when texting or when accessing the Internet on their phones.

Review the slideshow below to learn about some of the places online where kids can be at risk.

Guidelines for keeping your kids safe

It can be difficult to keep your kids completely safe online. Even if you set up parental controls on your home computer, your kids will use many other computers that don't have parental controls. To keep your kids safe, you'll need to teach them to make good decisions online—even when you're not around.

Below are some general tips you can use when teaching your kids about online safety:

• Learn everything you can about the Internet. Being familiar with the Internet will not only help you understand the risks, but it will also help you talk to your kids.
• Set standards for what your kids can and cannot do online. It's important to make rules for your kids so they know what's expected of them. Don't wait until something bad happens to start creating guidelines.
• Teach your kids to keep personal information private . It's usually a bad idea to post personal information online such as phone numbers, addresses, and credit cards. If criminals gain access to this information, they can use it to harm you or your family.
• Teach your kids to use social networking sites safely. Sites like Facebook allow kids—and adults—to share photos and videos of themselves, as well as have conversations with friends and strangers. If your kids share something with friends, it's still possible for it to get into the wrong hands. Generally, they should only post something online if they're comfortable with everyone in the world seeing it.
• Encourage your kids to come to you if they encounter a problem. If your child gets into trouble online, you'll want him or her to come to you instead of hiding it. Keep in mind that your kids could accidentally encounter a bad site, even if they're doing everything right.
• Talk to your kids about Internet use. Talk to your kids regularly about how they use the Internet. If they're in the habit of talking to you about the Internet, they'll be more willing to come to you if there's a problem.

The Federal Trade Commission has videos and other resources you may find helpful. Watch the following video to learn more about talking to your kids about Internet safety.

Minimizing risks at home

If you have a home computer your kids use, there are some extra precautions you can take to make it safer. Remember that your kids will probably use many other computers, and these precautions won't keep them safe when they're not at home. Also, keep in mind that these are merely suggestions; depending on your parenting style and your kids' ages, you may choose not to use all of them.

• Keep the computer in the living room or in another common area. By putting the computer in a common area of the house, you can reduce the chance that they'll talk to strangers or visit inappropriate websites. For teens, you may choose to give them more freedom about where they use the computer (especially if they have their own computers).
• Install antivirus software. Viruses and other malware are a risk for any computer (although Macs are slightly safer). To protect your computer, you can install antivirus software such as BitDefender or Norton .
• Use a kid-friendly search engine. Regular search engines may return results with inappropriate content you don't want your kids to see. However, there are some search engines that are designed to only return kid-friendly results (although there is still the possibility of inappropriate results getting through). Examples include KidTopia and KidRex.org .
• Use parental controls. Windows and Mac OS X allow you to add parental controls to user accounts. These include time limits , website restrictions , and controlling which applications can be opened . You can also buy parental control software like Net Nanny , which has versions for Windows and Mac.

Creating an Internet safety contract

Once you've established Internet guidelines, you may want to put them in writing. You can create an Internet safety contract your kids can sign, and then you can keep a copy of it near the computer.

There are also premade contracts you can download and print. One example is the Family Online Safety Contract , which you can download from the Family Online Safety Institute . In addition to a contract, it includes a contract for parents, which contains guidelines you may find helpful.

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Top 10 Internet Safety Rules & What Not to Do Online

A 19-year-old running for public office in New Hampshire found out about the importance of following Internet safety rules the hard way. As Seacoast Online reports, his opponents found images in his social media posts that were sexually suggestive and referenced past drug use. Just like that, his political career crashed and burned upon takeoff. But, unfortunately, he isn't the only one, as careless Internet habits have left others exposed to scams, identity theft and physical harm at the hands of people they met online. With more users accessing the Internet through mobile devices, these risks are changing and growing quickly.

Even though apps loom larger in most people's daily online interactions than traditional websites do, that does not mean that the basic Internet safety rules have changed. Hackers are still on the lookout for personal information they can use to access your credit card and bank information.

Unsafe surfing can also lead to other threats—from embarrassing personal comments or images that, once online, are nearly impossible to erase, to getting mixed up with people you'd rather have had nothing to do with.

Here are the Top 10 Internet safety rules to follow to help you avoid getting into trouble online (and offline). 

1. Keep Personal Information Professional and Limited

Potential employers or customers don't need to know your personal relationship status or your home address. They do need to know about your expertise and professional background, and how to get in touch with you. You wouldn't hand purely personal information out to strangers individually—don't hand it out to millions of people online.

2. Keep Your Privacy Settings On

Marketers love to know all about you, and so do hackers. Both can learn a lot from your browsing and social media usage. But you can take charge of your information. As noted by Lifehacker , both web browsers and mobile operating systems have settings available to protect your privacy online. Major websites like Facebook also have privacy-enhancing settings available. These settings are sometimes (deliberately) hard to find because companies want your personal information for its marketing value. Make sure you have enabled these privacy safeguards, and keep them enabled.

3. Practice Safe Browsing

You wouldn't choose to walk through a dangerous neighborhood—don't visit dangerous neighborhoods online. Cybercriminals use lurid content as bait. They know people are sometimes tempted by dubious content and may let their guard down when searching for it. The Internet's demimonde is filled with hard-to-see pitfalls, where one careless click could expose personal data or infect your device with malware. By resisting the urge, you don't even give the hackers a chance.

4. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure. Use a Secure VPN Connection

When you go online in a public place, for example by using a public Wi-Fi connection, PCMag notes you have no direct control over its security. Corporate cybersecurity experts worry about "endpoints"—the places where a private network connects to the outside world. Your vulnerable endpoint is your local Internet connection. Make sure your device is secure, and when in doubt, wait for a better time (i.e., until you're able to connect to a secure Wi-Fi network) before providing information such as your bank account number.

To further improve your Internet browsing safety, use secure VPN connection (virtual private network ). VPN enables you to have a secure connection between your device and an Internet server that no one can monitor or access the data that you’re exchanging. Read more about What is VPN

5. Be Careful What You Download

A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather. As PCWorld advises , don't download apps that look suspicious or come from a site you don't trust.

6. Choose Strong Passwords

Passwords are one of the biggest weak spots in the whole Internet security structure, but there's currently no way around them. And the problem with passwords is that people tend to choose easy ones to remember (such as "password" and "123456"), which are also easy for cyber thieves to guess. Select strong passwords that are harder for cybercriminals to demystify. Password manager software can help you to manage multiple passwords so that you don't forget them. A strong password is one that is unique and complex—at least 15 characters long, mixing letters, numbers and special characters.

7. Make Online Purchases From Secure Sites

Any time you make a purchase online, you need to provide credit card or bank account information—just what cybercriminals are most eager to get their hands on. Only supply this information to sites that provide secure, encrypted connections. As Boston University notes, you can identify secure sites by looking for an address that starts with https: (the S stands for secure ) rather than simply http: They may also be marked by a padlock icon next to the address bar.

8. Be Careful What You Post

The Internet does not have a delete key, as that young candidate in New Hampshire found out. Any comment or image you post online may stay online forever because removing the original (say, from Twitter) does not remove any copies that other people made. There is no way for you to "take back" a remark you wish you hadn't made, or get rid of that embarrassing selfie you took at a party. Don't put anything online that you wouldn't want your mom or a prospective employer to see.

9. Be Careful Who You Meet Online

People you meet online are not always who they claim to be. Indeed, they may not even be real. As InfoWorld reports, fake social media profiles are a popular way for hackers to cozy up to unwary Web users and pick their cyber pockets. Be as cautious and sensible in your online social life as you are in your in-person social life.

10. Keep Your Antivirus Program Up To Date

Internet security software cannot protect against every threat, but it will detect and remove most malware—though you should make sure it's to date. Be sure to stay current with your operating system's updates and updates to applications you use. They provide a vital layer of security.

Keep these 10 basic Internet safety rules in mind and you'll avoid many of the nasty surprises that lurk online for the careless.

Products to ensure your Internet safety:

• Kaspersky Internet Security
• Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection
• Kaspersky Antivirus

Related articles:

• What Is a Virtual Private Network (VPN): How It Works and Why You Need a VPN
• What is VPN
• How to Avoid Public Wi-Fi Security Risks

Top 10 Internet Safety Rules & What Not to Do Online

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Teens and Video Games Today

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Table of Contents

• Who plays video games?
• How often do teens play video games?
• What devices do teens play video games on?
• Social media use among gamers
• Teen views on how much they play video games and efforts to cut back
• Are teens social with others through video games?
• Do teens think video games positively or negatively impact their lives?
• Why do teens play video games?
• Bullying and violence in video games
• Appendix A: Detailed charts
• Acknowledgments

The analysis in this report is based on a self-administered web survey conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, among a sample of 1,453 dyads, with each dyad (or pair) comprised of one U.S. teen ages 13 to 17 and one parent per teen. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,453 teens is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,453 parents is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in English and Spanish using KnowledgePanel, its nationally representative online research panel.

The research plan for this project was submitted to an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, which is an independent committee of experts that specializes in helping to protect the rights of research participants. The IRB thoroughly vetted this research before data collection began. Due to the risks associated with surveying minors, this research underwent a full board review and received approval (Approval ID Pro00073203).

KnowledgePanel members are recruited through probability sampling methods and include both those with internet access and those who did not have internet access at the time of their recruitment. KnowledgePanel provides internet access for those who do not have it and, if needed, a device to access the internet when they join the panel. KnowledgePanel’s recruitment process was originally based exclusively on a national random-digit dialing (RDD) sampling methodology. In 2009, Ipsos migrated to an address-based sampling (ABS) recruitment methodology via the U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File (DSF). The Delivery Sequence File has been estimated to cover as much as 98% of the population, although some studies suggest that the coverage could be in the low 90% range. 4

Panelists were eligible for participation in this survey if they indicated on an earlier profile survey that they were the parent of a teen ages 13 to 17. A random sample of 3,981 eligible panel members were invited to participate in the study. Responding parents were screened and considered qualified for the study if they reconfirmed that they were the parent of at least one child ages 13 to 17 and granted permission for their teen who was chosen to participate in the study. In households with more than one eligible teen, parents were asked to think about one randomly selected teen, and that teen was instructed to complete the teen portion of the survey. A survey was considered complete if both the parent and selected teen completed their portions of the questionnaire, or if the parent did not qualify during the initial screening.

Of the sampled panelists, 1,763 (excluding break-offs) responded to the invitation and 1,453 qualified, completed the parent portion of the survey, and had their selected teen complete the teen portion of the survey, yielding a final stage completion rate of 44% and a qualification rate of 82%. The cumulative response rate accounting for nonresponse to the recruitment surveys and attrition is 2.2%. The break-off rate among those who logged on to the survey (regardless of whether they completed any items or qualified for the study) is 26.9%.

Upon completion, qualified respondents received a cash-equivalent incentive worth $10 for completing the survey. To encourage response from non-Hispanic Black panelists, the incentive was increased from $10 to $20 on Oct 5, 2023. The incentive was increased again on Oct. 10, from $20 to $40; then to $50 on Oct. 17; and to $75 on Oct. 20. Reminders and notifications of the change in incentive were sent for each increase.

All panelists received email invitations and any nonresponders received reminders, shown in the table. The field period was closed on Oct. 23, 2023.

The analysis in this report was performed using separate weights for parents and teens. The parent weight was created in a multistep process that begins with a base design weight for the parent, which is computed to reflect their probability of selection for recruitment into the KnowledgePanel. These selection probabilities were then adjusted to account for the probability of selection for this survey, which included oversamples of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic parents. Next, an iterative technique was used to align the parent design weights to population benchmarks for parents of teens ages 13 to 17 on the dimensions identified in the accompanying table, to account for any differential nonresponse that may have occurred.

To create the teen weight, an adjustment factor was applied to the final parent weight to reflect the selection of one teen per household. Finally, the teen weights were further raked to match the demographic distribution for teens ages 13 to 17 who live with parents. The teen weights were adjusted on the same teen dimensions as parent dimensions with the exception of teen education, which was not used in the teen weighting.

Sampling errors and tests of statistical significance take into account the effect of weighting. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.

In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey:

Sample sizes and sampling errors for subgroups are available upon request.

Dispositions and response rates

The tables below display dispositions used in the calculation of completion, qualification and cumulative response rates. 5

© Pew Research Center, 2023

• AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling. 2016. “AAPOR Report: Address-based Sampling.” ↩
• For more information on this method of calculating response rates, refer to: Callegaro, Mario, and Charles DiSogra. 2008. “Computing response metrics for online panels.” Public Opinion Quarterly. ↩

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Improving Safety and Potency Testing of Allergen Extracts

Jay E. Slater, MD

Office of Vaccines Research and Review Division of Bacterial, Parasitic, and Allergenic Products Laboratory of Immunobiochemistry

[email protected]

Dr. Slater received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, trained in Pediatrics at the Babies Hospital in New York (Columbia Presbyterian), and in Allergy-Immunology at NIAID/NIH. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Allergy Immunology and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, and licensed to practice medicine in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

After 12 years as an academic allergist immunologist at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, Dr. Slater became a Supervisory Medical Officer at the US Food and Drug Administration, first as Chief of the Laboratory of Immunobiochemistry, then as Deputy Director and finally Director of the Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products.

Dr. Slater’s research interests have included natural rubber latex allergy, and the detailed characterization of non-standardized allergen extracts including German cockroach, mouse and fungal allergen extracts, among others, using proteomics, monoclonal antibodies and mass spectrometry. Dr. Slater has authored 36 research papers as first or senior author, in addition to 22 review articles and 12 book chapters.

General Overview

Allergen extracts are used in the United States to diagnose and treat allergic diseases. Skin tests containing these extracts determine the causes of allergies. "Allergy shots" containing them are used to reduce or eliminate allergic symptoms. As with all drugs and biologics, good quality controls are needed to ensure that allergen extracts are safe and effective. The goal of our research is to provide new tools and data that allow allergen extract manufacturers to maintain and improve the quality of these important products.

Our major area of focus involves the methods by which FDA and manufacturers measure the potency, or strength, of an allergen extract. Existing methods either measure a single, dominant protein in the extract, or determine the potency by measuring several undefined proteins as a group.

We expand on available methods for assessing complex allergen extracts to include mass spectrometry. This will allow precise determinations of specific proteins and their isoforms. We will focus on the insect German cockroach, the fungus Alternaria alternata, mouse urine and house dust mite. We have chosen these allergens because they can cause serious human allergic disease, and are biologically complex.

Allergen extracts are important tools for the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases, which are common, often disabling, and occasionally dangerous. The novel methods that we are developing will enhance the efficacy, safety and quality control of these critical products.

Scientific Overview

The potencies of allergen extracts are determined by several methods, based on the nature of the extracts. For some, for which there are only one or two known allergens, specific allergen testing can be performed (by ELISA or radial immunodiffusion assay, RID). For others, overall allergenicity testing is required, usually by competition ELISA. The existing competition ELISA is a sensitive and specific method of determining overall potency, but its performance characteristics for each component allergen is uncertain. When an individual allergen is removed from the extract, the polyvalent sera cannot reliably discern its absence (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;105:482-488; Clin Exp Allergy 2006; 36:525-530). Until each relevant allergen in a mixture is identified, regulators must ask manufacturers to measure overall potency. Once important allergens are determined, their measurement requires a change in technology that can be time-consuming and difficult.

The purpose of this research program is to develop assay strategies that will have the strengths of both the allergen-specific assays and the overall allergenicity assays, and that will allow manufacturers and regulators to determine the amounts of specific allergens in a mixture, as well as its overall allergenicity. Multiplex assays have been used with success for a variety of assays, such as detecting allergen-specific IgE and the amount of allergen in the environment. Following this approach, we designed a multiplex allergen extract potency assay (MAEPA), based on the expressions and production of numerous monoclonal antibodies against allergens in complex mixtures. In completed work, the MAEPA assay was optimized for cat hair and short ragweed pollen allergen extracts, and German cockroach allergen extracts.

In current work we are developing a mass spectrometry-based multiplex assay (so-called multiple reaction monitoring, MRM) to house dust mite, Alternaria alternata, and mouse urine allergen extracts. All of these allergens are associated with rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma; three of them (cockroach, Alternaria, and mouse) are currently non-standardized. The potential advantages of the MRM method over existing technologies (RID, ELISA) include greater accuracy and multiplexing. The advantage of MRM over MAEPA is quicker development time and easier transferability to manufacturers.

Publications

• Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2024 Jan 22 [Epub ahead of print] Vitellin/vitellogenin is an important allergen in German cockroach. Hadiwinarta C, Blank A, Somers J, Schal C, Bronzert C, Sharma K, Strader MB, Hamilton RG, Slater JE
• Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2024 Jan 22;1-6 Vitellin/vitellogenin is an important allergen in German cockroach. Hadiwinarta C, Blank A, Somers J, Schal C, Bronzert C, Sharma K, Strader MB, Hamilton RG
• J Allergy Clin Immunol 2022 Mar;149(3):812-8 A regulator's view on AIT clinical trials in the United States and Europe: why successful studies fail to support licensure. Bonertz A, Tripathi A, Zimmer J, Reeb C, Kaul S, Bridgewater J, Rabin RL, Slater JE, Vieths S
• Allergy 2021 Dec;76(12):3723-32 Diversity and complexity of mouse allergens in urine, house dust, and allergen extracts assessed with an immuno-allergomic approach. Mindaye ST, Sun C, Esfahani SAZ, Matsui EC, Sheehan MJ, Rabin RL, Slater JE
• J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Sep;8(8):2506-14 The allergen: sources, extracts, and molecules for diagnosis of allergic disease. Goodman RE, Chapman MD, Slater JE
• Clin Exp Allergy 2020 Jun;50(6):741-51 Measurement of German cockroach (GCr) allergens and their isoforms in allergen extracts with mass spectrometry. Mindaye ST, David NA, Esfahani SAZ, Schal C, Matsui EC, Ronald RL, Slater JE
• J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019 Oct;144(4):1140 Regulation of allergen immunotherapy products in Europe and the United States. Rabin RL, Bridgewater J, Slater JE
• Allergy 2018 Apr;73(4):816-26 Allergen manufacturing and quality aspects for allergen immunotherapy in Europe and the United States: an analysis from the EAACI AIT Guidelines Project. Bonertz A, Roberts G, Slater JE, Bridgewater J, Rabin RL, Hoefnagel M, Timon M, Pini C, Pfaar O, Sheikh A, Ryan D, Akdis C, Goldstein J, Poulsen LK, van Ree R, Rhyner C, Barber D, Palomares O, Pawankar R, Hamerlijnk D, Klimek L, Agache I, Angier E, Casale T, Fernandez-Rivas M, Halken S, Jutel M, Lau S, Pajno G, Sturm G, Varga EM, van Wijk RG, Bonini S, Muraro A, Vieths S
• Allergy 2018 Jan;73(1):64-76 Challenges in the implementation of EAACI guidelines on allergen immunotherapy: a global perspective on the regulation of allergen products. Bonertz A, Roberts G, Hoefnagel M, Timon M, Slater J, Rabin R, Bridgewater J, Pini C, Pfaar O, Akdis C, Goldstein J, Poulsen LK, van Ree R, Rhyner C, Barber D, Palomares O, Sheikh A, Pawankar R, Hamerlijnk D, Klimek L, Agache I, Angier E, Casale T, Fernandez-Rivas M, Halken S, Jutel M, Lau S, Pajno G, Sturm G, Maria Varga E, van Wijk RG, Bonini S, Muraro A, Vieths S
• Clin Exp Allergy 2017 Dec;47(12):1661-70 Accurate quantification of 5 German cockroach (GCr) allergens in complex extracts using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM MS). Mindaye ST, Spiric J, David NA, Rabin RL, Slater JE
• PLoS One 2017 Aug 2;12(8):e0182260 Cross-reaction between Formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus) proteins and cockroach allergens. Mattison CP, Khurana T, Tarver MR, Florane CB, Grimm CC, Pakala SB, Cottone CB, Riegel C, Bren-Mattison Y, Slater JE
• Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2017 Aug;119(2):101-7 Food allergen extracts to diagnose food-induced allergic diseases: how they are made. David NA, Penumarti A, Burks AW, Slater JE
• Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2016 May;116(5):440-446.e2 The NPC2 protein: a novel dog allergen. Khurana T, Newman-Lindsay S, Young PR, Slater JE
• PLoS One 2015 Oct 7;10(10):e0140225 Multiplex assay for protein profiling and potency measurement of German cockroach allergen extracts. Khurana T, Dobrovolskaia E, Shartouny JR, Slater JE

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NSERC awards Concordia’s Gina Cody School $1.1M to develop autonomous security monitoring for the Internet of Things

Adoption of autonomous Internet of Things (IoT) equipment such as drones, vehicles and smart home devices is on the rise. Coupled with the increasing power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, our lives are changing in notable ways.

But today’s large-scale IoT systems suffer from various implementation flaws and misconfigurations, and adversaries frequently exploit those vulnerabilities to craft sophisticated and powerful cyberattacks.

To protect against these threats, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded $1,147,500 toward Concordia research geared at developing autonomous security monitoring for IoT devices. The funding will be delivered over a five-year period.

“AI is booming, which is good news for cybersecurity experts but also attackers,” says the research project’s principal investigator, Suryadipta Majumdar . The associate professor works out of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science ’s Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering .

“We are examining how, even in the absence of a human operator, we can make things better if these devices are failing, whether intentionally or unintentionally. That’s why we wanted to build a security monitoring solution for this kind of autonomous or smart IT environment,” Majumdar explains.

The team hopes to produce an autonomous security solution that will reduce human intervention and fit with the design of IoT devices.

The project is in partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and cybersecurity specialists Sunphinx Inc. and is the result of years of work on behalf of its main researcher.

“We started envisioning this project back in 2020,” Majumdar says.

“And now, thanks to the efforts of the Concordia Information Security Research Lab in the Security Research Centre , with the valuable contributions of co-principal investigator Paria Shirani and partners, as well as the support of the Gina Cody School and Dean Mourad Debbabi , we received the funding.”

‘Addressing real-life challenges with far-reaching impacts’

Emad Shihab , the Gina Cody School’s associate dean of research and innovation, recognizes the broader significance of the project. “This research exemplifies our commitment to addressing real-life challenges with far-reaching impacts, both locally and globally,” Shihab says.

“It showcases our dedication to pioneering solutions that not only advance the field of cybersecurity but also protect and enhance the daily lives of individuals and communities around the world.”

In addition to Majumdar, the research is being conducted by co-principal investigator Paria Shirani , PhD 21, assistant professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa, and their collaborator Anandamayee Majumdar , assistant professor in the College of Science and Engineering at San Francisco State University in California.  

Shirani is no stranger to Concordia, as she earned her PhD in information systems engineering from the university in 2021 under the supervision Mourad Debbabi and Lingyu Wang , professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering. Concordia graduate students Armin Mansouri, Mahdieh Ghorbanian, Piyush Adhikari and Sofya Smolyakova, are also part of the research team.

Both DRDC and Sunphinx are interested in advancing the results of this project in Canada. The DRDC wants to leverage the output by providing trusted advice on the secure use of IoT and technology for national defence.

The group also intends it to inform potential acquisitions on IT technology, their related security threats and counter measures.

Sunphinx has several concrete plans to realize the proposed solution from this project, not only to help end users but also municipalities, provinces and businesses. The team is already in discussion with a non-profit organization supported by the Government of Quebec that helps cities in the deployment of innovative solutions.

Find out more about the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering .

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© Concordia University

New machine learning algorithm promises advances in computing

Digital twin models may enhance future autonomous systems.

Systems controlled by next-generation computing algorithms could give rise to better and more efficient machine learning products, a new study suggests.

Using machine learning tools to create a digital twin, or a virtual copy, of an electronic circuit that exhibits chaotic behavior, researchers found that they were successful at predicting how it would behave and using that information to control it.

Many everyday devices, like thermostats and cruise control, utilize linear controllers -- which use simple rules to direct a system to a desired value. Thermostats, for example, employ such rules to determine how much to heat or cool a space based on the difference between the current and desired temperatures.

Yet because of how straightforward these algorithms are, they struggle to control systems that display complex behavior, like chaos.

As a result, advanced devices like self-driving cars and aircraft often rely on machine learning-based controllers, which use intricate networks to learn the optimal control algorithm needed to best operate. However, these algorithms have significant drawbacks, the most demanding of which is that they can be extremely challenging and computationally expensive to implement.

Now, having access to an efficient digital twin is likely to have a sweeping impact on how scientists develop future autonomous technologies, said Robert Kent, lead author of the study and a graduate student in physics at The Ohio State University.

"The problem with most machine learning-based controllers is that they use a lot of energy or power and they take a long time to evaluate," said Kent. "Developing traditional controllers for them has also been difficult because chaotic systems are extremely sensitive to small changes."

These issues, he said, are critical in situations where milliseconds can make a difference between life and death, such as when self-driving vehicles must decide to brake to prevent an accident.

The study was published recently in Nature Communications.

Compact enough to fit on an inexpensive computer chip capable of balancing on your fingertip and able to run without an internet connection, the team's digital twin was built to optimize a controller's efficiency and performance, which researchers found resulted in a reduction of power consumption. It achieves this quite easily, mainly because it was trained using a type of machine learning approach called reservoir computing.

"The great thing about the machine learning architecture we used is that it's very good at learning the behavior of systems that evolve in time," Kent said. "It's inspired by how connections spark in the human brain."

Although similarly sized computer chips have been used in devices like smart fridges, according to the study, this novel computing ability makes the new model especially well-equipped to handle dynamic systems such as self-driving vehicles as well as heart monitors, which must be able to quickly adapt to a patient's heartbeat.

"Big machine learning models have to consume lots of power to crunch data and come out with the right parameters, whereas our model and training is so extremely simple that you could have systems learning on the fly," he said.

To test this theory, researchers directed their model to complete complex control tasks and compared its results to those from previous control techniques. The study revealed that their approach achieved a higher accuracy at the tasks than its linear counterpart and is significantly less computationally complex than a previous machine learning-based controller.

"The increase in accuracy was pretty significant in some cases," said Kent. Though the outcome showed that their algorithm does require more energy than a linear controller to operate, this tradeoff means that when it is powered up, the team's model lasts longer and is considerably more efficient than current machine learning-based controllers on the market.

"People will find good use out of it just based on how efficient it is," Kent said. "You can implement it on pretty much any platform and it's very simple to understand." The algorithm was recently made available to scientists.

Outside of inspiring potential advances in engineering, there's also an equally important economic and environmental incentive for creating more power-friendly algorithms, said Kent.

As society becomes more dependent on computers and AI for nearly all aspects of daily life, demand for data centers is soaring, leading many experts to worry over digital systems' enormous power appetite and what future industries will need to do to keep up with it.

And because building these data centers as well as large-scale computing experiments can generate a large carbon footprint, scientists are looking for ways to curb carbon emissions from this technology.

To advance their results, future work will likely be steered toward training the model to explore other applications like quantum information processing, Kent said. In the meantime, he expects that these new elements will reach far into the scientific community.

"Not enough people know about these types of algorithms in the industry and engineering, and one of the big goals of this project is to get more people to learn about them," said Kent. "This work is a great first step toward reaching that potential."

This study was supported by the U.S. Air Force's Office of Scientific Research. Other Ohio State co-authors include Wendson A.S. Barbosa and Daniel J. Gauthier.

• Electronics
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Story Source:

Materials provided by Ohio State University . Original written by Tatyana Woodall. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Robert M. Kent, Wendson A. S. Barbosa, Daniel J. Gauthier. Controlling chaos using edge computing hardware . Nature Communications , 2024; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48133-3

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