[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]by Lynette Owens<\/p>\n
As of today, more than 185K global cases of COVID-19 have been documented, according to Johns Hopkins University<\/a>. Travel has been restricted in many countries, restaurants, bars, and schools have shuttered their doors and many companies have moved to a remote workforce to limit exposure from gathering in groups.\u00a0 We urge everyone to take seriously the precautions as directed by the World Health Organization and your local government officials.\u00a0 It\u2019s a global issue we should all take seriously and play a role in helping to fight.<\/p>\n Trend Micro\u2019s Internet Safety for Kids & Families (ISKF) program has decided to take action to avoid the spread of the virus. Effective immediately, we will suspend all our in-person school and community events around the world through at least the end of April, or until further notice.\u00a0 We are working on ways to continue holding events virtually for parents and kids and will share more details here and on our social media channels when we finalize our plans.<\/p>\n In the meantime, we want to raise awareness of some immediate issues facing us online regarding COVID-19.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve seen so many times over the last three decades, there are people and organizations with bad intentions using this world health crisis to cause digital harm.\u00a0 We may not yet have an answer to cure those with COVID-19, but we have a way to fight the havoc it is causing online.<\/p>\n Cybersecurity companies like Trend Micro along with news outlets like Tech Crunch<\/a> and BBC<\/a>, have reported an uptick in cyberattacks that use the COVID-19 pandemic to trick victims into clicking on links to hacked sites or downloading malicious software designed to spy on them or steal personal information. We\u2019ve seen examples of emails from seemingly legitimate sources, such as a government health organization, with alluring subject lines about Coronavirus updates.\u00a0 The goal: to get people to open the emails and attachments that actually contain malicious software, designed to steal your personal information or spy on your online actions.\u00a0 There are also examples of fake maps showing the spread of the virus that hide malicious software downloaded by you when you click on them.\u00a0 And these criminal acts are not just happening in one country or one language, either.\u00a0 Have a look at examples<\/a> of these from our researchers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to know that in our rush to fill the void of information and ease our minds to better understand this unprecedented world event, we should keep our online safety skills sharp.\u00a0 Remind your kids to do the same.\u00a0 In addition to having updated, security software on every device you use to connect to the internet, remember these key tips and share them with your kids:<\/p>\n In addition to these types of criminal online acts, we also see a rise in false claims and misinformation.\u00a0 The World Health Organization has raised the alarm of this infodemic or \u201can overabundance of information\u2014some accurate and some not\u2014that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.\u201d \u00a0From rumors to false stats to racist propaganda, the spread of misinformation is rampant. \u00a0This is dangerous as people may respond to what they see in ways that could escalate the spread of the virus or put many people\u2019s lives or livelihood at risk.\u00a0 Although major platforms like Twitter and Facebook are pledging to stop the spreading of false information, we are all responsible to help. Rely on credible sources of information, such as the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, or your local government officials.\u00a0 As you may spend more time on social media, scrolling through posts or receiving numerous emails about COVID-19, be critical of what you\u2019re reading, believing, and sharing.\u00a0 And talk to your kids about doing the same.<\/p>\n Like washing hands frequently to prevent the spread of the Novel coronavirus, there is a way to prevent cybercriminals and purveyors of misinformation about the virus from succeeding.\u00a0 Supporting media literacy skills in your own home can seem like a daunting task in a world of information overload. However, as explained in A Parent\u2019s Guide to Media Literacy<\/em><\/a>, developed by the National Association for Media Literacy Education<\/a> with support from Trend Micro, it can be boiled down to one concept:\u00a0Teach yourself and your kids to ask the tough questions<\/strong>.\u00a0 When reading updates on COVID-19 or related content in your networking circles, be sure to ask yourself:<\/p>\n We also recently covered deepfakes<\/a>, another method that can be used to misinform or spread propaganda, and the actions we outlined to combat them are just as important for this conversation.<\/p>\n Please take extra caution during these troubling times. In addition to safeguarding your own health and practicing good hygiene and social distancing, be sure to do the same online.\u00a0 Narrow down the sources of information on COVID-19 that you depend on to the most credible ones, and refrain from sharing anything beyond these with others.<\/p>\n In times like these, we may feel less in control over what is going on around us, but we can take some control over what we and our kids are consuming online.\u00a0 Consider limiting your news consumption and endless social media scrolling so you\u2019re not overwhelmed with all the COVID-19 news and help your kids to do the same.\u00a0 Make time together to watch fun movies, play card games, bake some treats or take a walk as a family \u2013 things you may not have had time to do before this moment.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_team_member name=”Lynette Owens” position=”Founder and Global Director of Trend Micro’s ISKF” image_url=”\/internet-safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/speaker-lynette.png” twitter_url=”http:\/\/twitter.com\/lynettetowens” _builder_version=”4.9.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_module=”5835″]<\/p>\n Lynette Owens is the Founder and Global Director of Trend Micro\u2019s Internet Safety for Kids and Families program. With 20+ years in the tech industry, Lynette speaks and blogs regularly on how to help kids become great digital citizens. She works with communities and 1:1 school districts across the U.S. and around the world to support digital literacy and citizenship education. She is a board member of the National Association of Media Literacy Education and serves on the advisory boards of INHOPE and U.S. Safer Internet Day, and on the national advisor council of Media Literacy Now.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_team_member][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we\u2019ve seen so many times over the last three decades, there are people and organizations with bad intentions using this world health crisis to cause digital harm.\u00a0 We may not yet have an answer to cure those with COVID-19, but we have a way to fight the havoc it is causing online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"by Lynette Owens\r\n\r\nAs of today, more than 185K global cases of COVID-19 have been documented, according to Johns Hopkins University<\/a>. Travel has been restricted in many countries, restaurants, bars, and schools have shuttered their doors and many companies have moved to a remote workforce to limit exposure from gathering in groups.\u00a0 We urge everyone to take seriously the precautions as directed by the World Health Organization and your local government officials.\u00a0 It\u2019s a global issue we should all take seriously and play a role in helping to fight.\r\n\r\nTrend Micro\u2019s Internet Safety for Kids & Families (ISKF) program has decided to take action to avoid the spread of the virus. Effective immediately, we will suspend all our in-person school and community events around the world through at least the end of April, or until further notice.\u00a0 We are working on ways to continue holding events virtually for parents and kids and will share more details here and on our social media channels when we finalize our plans.\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, we want to raise awareness of some immediate issues facing us online regarding COVID-19.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve seen so many times over the last three decades, there are people and organizations with bad intentions using this world health crisis to cause digital harm.\u00a0 We may not yet have an answer to cure those with COVID-19, but we have a way to fight the havoc it is causing online.\r\nHackers and Peddlers Prey on Our Search for Answers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Another COVID-19 Harm: Misinformation
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\nFight Back with Media Literacy Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Hackers and Peddlers Prey on Our Search for Answers<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCybersecurity companies like Trend Micro along with news outlets like Tech Crunch<\/a> and BBC<\/a>, have reported an uptick in cyberattacks that use the COVID-19 pandemic to trick victims into clicking on links to hacked sites or downloading malicious software designed to spy on them or steal personal information. We\u2019ve seen examples of emails from seemingly legitimate sources, such as a government health organization, with alluring subject lines about Coronavirus updates.\u00a0 The goal: to get people to open the emails and attachments that actually contain malicious software, designed to steal your personal information or spy on your online actions.\u00a0 There are also examples of fake maps showing the spread of the virus that hide malicious software downloaded by you when you click on them.\u00a0 And these criminal acts are not just happening in one country or one language, either.\u00a0 Have a look at examples<\/a> of these from our researchers.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s important to know that in our rush to fill the void of information and ease our minds to better understand this unprecedented world event, we should keep our online safety skills sharp.\u00a0 Remind your kids to do the same.\u00a0 In addition to having updated, security software on every device you use to connect to the internet, remember these key tips and share them with your kids:\r\n
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Another COVID-19 Harm: Misinformation\r\n<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIn addition to these types of criminal online acts, we also see a rise in false claims and misinformation.\u00a0 The World Health Organization has raised the alarm of this infodemic or \u201can overabundance of information\u2014some accurate and some not\u2014that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.\u201d \u00a0From rumors to false stats to racist propaganda, the spread of misinformation is rampant. \u00a0This is dangerous as people may respond to what they see in ways that could escalate the spread of the virus or put many people\u2019s lives or livelihood at risk.\u00a0 Although major platforms like Twitter and Facebook are pledging to stop the spreading of false information, we are all responsible to help. Rely on credible sources of information, such as the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, or your local government officials.\u00a0 As you may spend more time on social media, scrolling through posts or receiving numerous emails about COVID-19, be critical of what you\u2019re reading, believing, and sharing.\u00a0 And talk to your kids about doing the same.\r\n
Fight Back with Media Literacy Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLike washing hands frequently to prevent the spread of the Novel coronavirus, there is a way to prevent cybercriminals and purveyors of misinformation about the virus from succeeding.\u00a0 Supporting media literacy skills in your own home can seem like a daunting task in a world of information overload. However, as explained in A Parent\u2019s Guide to Media Literacy<\/em><\/a>, developed by the National Association for Media Literacy Education<\/a> with support from Trend Micro, it can be boiled down to one concept:\u00a0Teach yourself and your kids to ask the tough questions<\/strong>.\u00a0 When reading updates on COVID-19 or related content in your networking circles, be sure to ask yourself:\r\n