I would like to once again open discussion about
safety of our future home environment. In this article
http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2015/10/keep-your-digital-home-secure-in-the-21st-century
there are mention only fundamentals of our home security. Problem is
that in many cases we are well experienced and educated in best case
to avoid most of threats in our life but we don't have certainty if
our child have this knowledge. The are many problems like viruses,
advertisements, identity thefts, espionage, pornography and many many
more threats. How you answer your five years old child what is sex
intercourse and is it safe to copulate with six's time older neighbor
from internet? In my opinion there are plenty maybe not as radical
questions to answer before we safely decide to open our child gates
to technology. Can we be sure to secure this kinds of media?
Future can bring lot of security issues in your home
fortress. Can you name few of them? Did you familiar with emerging
Internet of Things concept? How it will help us in future and what
are the dangers of implementing this technology? Should we defend our
precious childs from surrounding technology or should we try to
adapt?
Please answer above question and I hope to have
plenty of arguments to discuss.
More and more electronic devices are becoming "smart". They have complex operating systems (like Android), can contact with each other and with us. Some time ago having one computer at home was "something". Now almost everyone has laptop, smartphone, sometimes smartwatch and maybe another "smart" thing.
ReplyDeleteI must admit they all are very useful gadgets that even help us in our work. I really appreciate that I can check my emails and e.g. bus schedule on my mobile phone.
I think it may be very soon when we will also have smart fridges, washing machines or cars.
Such devices make our lives more convenient, but also may be a kind of danger. The more intelligent devices we have at home, the more ways of attacks are possible. Our electronic equipment also can collect a lot of data about us that in wrong hands can be used against us.
Another topics are children using the technology. In my opinion little children below 10-12 years old should use internet under supervision of their parents and in limited time. For older children we should just explain the risks.
What we can do for our home network was nicely explained in presented article. I usually don't check my network traffic, but since today I think I will.
This is exacly what I havein mind. Thanks for your comment. Another subject I recommend to study is Internet of Things. You mention in your post that more and more possibillities of attack are open using all smart technologies.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with Emilia about kids supervision when they are using the internet and you should not leave this decisions for parental control software, you have to remember that this is only set of rules nothing more. We should also show our children what they can do with technology, that computers can do much more than browsing the facebook.
ReplyDeleteI think that IoT is really great thing and it can help in our everyday tasks, it can help us to save our money also, for example by managing our heating system and IoT can also do things that we don't like for example sweeping (we can use Roomba robot).
Nowadays securing IoT devices is very hot topic because there is a lot of machines that can speak with other machine but security of this kind solution is very low, so you should use them with a lot of caution. We should also know that software is made by people and they make mistakes, so Internet Of Things solution (IOT) won't be 100% secure.
Thank you for your comment and reminder that quality ofour work should be respected. Sometimes when I look at design of information system I start to think if some mistakes are made by purpose. I am not very familliar with Internet of Things technology and I see lot of dangers but perhaps I am wrong.
ReplyDeleteCan we be sure this is secure kinds of media?
ReplyDeleteI think that confidence is illusory and always need to be vigilant.
Did you familiar with the emerging Internet of Things concept?
I've heard a little about it, IoT and IoE is cool before everything works, but how something will spoil creates a big problem and a wide range.
How it will help us in future and what are the dangers of Implementing this technology?
I believe that, like the cars, the best safeguards are those that will do the same owner. Everything is serial is less secure. No coffeemaker, no technology, the no substitute for vigilance and common sense in every area.
Should we defend our precious childs from surrounding technology or should we try to adapt?
To some extent, certainly, we must be aware that the technology both helps and hinders development. For example, teenagers can on a sunny afternoon check on your smartphone where it is midnight:)
I'm partially agree that need to be vigilant but IoT is seriously a Pandora box and in few years we'll need an enormous army of people to protect our homes and offices from villans.
DeleteNo matter whether we are talking about our children using Internet, TV, mobile, etc. for sure we must protect our children from risks that come along these technologies. Not only when we talk about using new technology I think. Of course even more important is education about risks as was mentioned (in early age) Fortunately, this issue is becoming more popular nowadays. But in my opinion it still is not enough. It is hard to imagine that on television during the commercial break they show a reminder about setting parental control to secure children.
ReplyDeleteYou probably ask yourself a similar question as mine. Do we really think that information about age restriction is enough? In these days in my opinion even cartoons can be full of aggression. Of course when we think about internet whether than things which we can simply watch on TV it is even worse.
By the way when I read the article I had a lot of fun. Perhaps for the same reasons mentioned by the author "I love listening to my parents and grandparents tell tales of yesterday.". Well, I think the article is not only amusing but it is also instructive. In my opinion, it provokes us to consider what we know about protecting our digital environment today and every new day. For sure I must agree with the thesis, "Not only do we have to protect our own homes digital, we need to protect our neighbors."
Well this is true. Science and technology today are developing faster and faster every year. Some people would say that they don't control such progress. I think that we need to adapt new regulations to traditional law system but I have another question: Do you know how many law is produced by government each month? The number is increasing each month.
DeleteThank you Piotr, it was very interesting article and topic in general. Unfortunately the information security awareness is far behind the current media extent. A lot of the people don't see anything wrong in posting private information on social media. Necessity of changing password every few months sounds like kind of punishment to them. Following this path, we reach children issue. How can someone teach his child how to behave in global network while he doesn't understand how it really works?
ReplyDeleteFrankly speaking there is less discipline in every new generation. I think it require to design and implement new methods of increasing awareness of how risky is using all "smart" technologies.
DeletePiotr,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion it is very important topics, most people don't know about security in the internet. We must learning our family and friends about risk of click some icon on the web page or click link in email. I have a lot of computers which I must reinstall because computer have a lot of viruses and etc. A lot of people ignore this case and it is a big problem.
Let stop for while and think. Where you see problem I see opportunity to rise money by IT people. In future there be opportunity for an army of specialists. But we still need to focus on the quality to not jeopardise our developing programs.
DeleteMy former employer has a product aimed to protect (mostly) children online.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am very strong opponent of this kind of solutions; to me controlling someone's correspondence is a form of fascism.
I am also against overprotecting the children. I just don't think it is a good idea. Sure, world outside is wild. And there are many predators just waiting to find their prey.
I believe that telling the truth is the only way to go. I am not going to tell my kids that there aren't any danger around them... Certainly, it is worth informing them about potential consequences of their actions (like watching pornography, talking to strangers online, etc.)
Education is a key to develop healthy community. If family is not enough source of propagating awerness in young generation then other institutions like schools should tell our kids minimum of how to behaive to reduce risk and not only to examine performance of their intelligent thinking.
DeleteOur house as Emilia wrote are smarter and smarter. Devices are exchanging and collecting data about our habits all the time. Do we need message from the washing machine about that the job was done? I do not think so. Information about shelf life of products in our fridge can be useful. Sometimes devices have to exchange and share our data. When I am going to work it is good to know about traffic, car accidents etc. To provide this kind of functionality information about current situation on the road come from the drivers who stuck on the road.
ReplyDeleteMost of the children are familiar with iPad, Internet, game console … but parents sometimes are not tracking risks. Information about age, communicators, social media … are the source of knowledge for example for kidnap or ... Someone can easily gain child trust based on data from social network.
Sadly this is true. And I don't want say same thought over and over again that we need programs to develop awareness about risk for our kids. The problem is that we should not leave fate of our younger generation in a lottery.
DeleteJust like Marcin N. wrote, a lot of people publish much private information about themselves, their children. There is a series of interesting articles on niebezpiecznik.pl (tagged CSI-stories) about exploiting people unawareness of security policies and best-practices: password written on post-it "well hidden" under the keyboard, company and position posted on facebook or infected file in mail. Human is still the weakest link in security because most people don't realize the threats and some don't give a damn.
ReplyDeleteOf course increasing number of smart things around us also increases points of vulnerability. For example on last DEF CON conference people from Pen Test Partners discovered that smart fridges can be used to get users email passwords using man in the middle vulnerability. And now imagine you trying to explain your parents they have to watch out for fridge hacking their mailboxes. :)
And I can imagine far more dangerous stories with fridge actors. ;)
DeleteI think we should supervise our children in the use of technology as in everything else at the beginning. We supervise them while they pass the street, when they use fork and knife etc. until they are old enough to understand how to avoid dangerous situation.
ReplyDeleteI think with technology it is similar - we have to teach them how to use it in a safe manner but during the process we have to watch and protect them and relieve our control little by little.
I cannot not agree with you about supervision and reducing control our children little by little with one exception. We are always responsible for our family. We cannot leave their life for something called fate.
DeleteObserved in recent times the use of children to technology and the Internet dramatically, many of them accept the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter "to the degree that made them use the Internet via the mobile. A study conducted by my organization connectsafely and Ikeepsafe in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology that a large percentage of Internet users especially children in the United States and the developed countries prefer access to Facebook through mobile In 2011 the number of Facebook users reached through mobile more than 350 million a user is expected to increase the proportion of Use during the current year.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet, with its positives also have a lot of negatives. And risks are concentrated in the abuse of young children to the world of "Internet", where effectively affect the character and psychology of a child who is sitting in front of him long hours without control on the part of the family often.
To avoid these dangers, some rules to follow:
- Put the computer in the living room, install parental control software on your computer.
- Check the age group mentioned on video games
- And especially speak with your children's internet use.
Thank you Monem for fresh ideas. I can honestly recommand them for everyone.
DeleteI think that forbidding everything completely is always a bad idea. There are families which try to explain children that wine is a great complement to a dinne. And I think that internet as well as any computer device may be introduced in the same way. I may be used in a beneficial or destructive way. On the other hand, there is still a need for instructing children what is a proper way of usage of a thing. While talking about digital home we cannot be sure that it is safe for our children and for us too.
ReplyDeleteTalking about Internet of Things we are vulnerable to an attack like interceptions made by a microphones in TV, camera in our laptops our even our cars being controlled by someone from the other side of the globe.
One of the solutions may be using a device which has some sort of certificates, is tested and has an option of parental control.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe author makes a valid point about password security. What's the point in having all those fancy security systems if you then pick a password that a 6-year-old would guess?
ReplyDeleteI tried to explain that to my parents many times but I finally gave up.
- would you ever put your key under the door mat or write your PIN on your credit card?
- of course not!
- why would you use your kids' DOB/dog's name/whatever as a password then?
- how would anyone figure that out?
Yeah, right.
Just like Marcin and Mikołaj said, people share lots of personal information without knowing the risk. What's even more alarming though is you can take all the precautions in the world but someone else may reveal anything about you without your knowledge and consent. Having your photos tagged on facebook even if you don't have an account is just one example.
This is true. I was really frustraited when one of my friends tag my photo on Facebook. But can we seriosly refuse to agree that people could speak about us and shere some information like images?
DeleteThey create complex environment in your home, we should remember comprehensive security as well as security of each device. All family members should be aware of the risks and the need to educate children from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteMy friend told me a story: the lesson of computing his daughter had done a presentation about the family. In a public Prezi !!! - The scary. He took her later talking about the protection of personal data.
I agree with Emilia - Children should use electronic devices connected to the network only under adult supervision.
Thank you for your comment. We should focus more on prevention than fighting with an fire afterwards.
DeleteThe development of technology bring in general more benefits than harms, and we should be grateful for that. However, as usual there are always 2 faces in everything, including technology - a good and a bad one. I have nothing to add to my colleges comments and I agree with the most of them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment.
DeleteIt's hard to argue when it comes to security. Personally, I don't have childrens so for me it's hard to take a position in this matter. When it comes to security, I must say that I'm very sensitive. Complicated passwords, double authentication, keeping my data encrypted and secured etc.
ReplyDeleteNowadays in times when IoT is almost everywhere, smartwatches, smartdischwashers, smartfridges etc. you never know how many data are u sending to manufacturers of those devices.
Just read this article:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/19/samsung-smart-tvs-send-unencrypted-voice-recognition-data-across-internet
We aren't safe in our house, you never know who's listening.
And this is the nightmare I fear. Thank you for comment and new materials.
Delete"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." - Eric Schmidt
ReplyDeleteI think it is a better practice to educate children about the potential harm that new technologies may bring. Technological inventions will (hopefully) not stop popping out which will require new methods for providing safety to children. Having some general knowledge of how the "world" works will provide better results than limiting exposure to risky situations.
I agree with you. Thanks for your comment.
Delete"Can you name few of them? Did you familiar with emerging Internet of Things concept? How it will help us in future and what are the dangers of implementing this technology? Should we defend our precious childs from surrounding technology or should we try to adapt?"
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the biggest threat at the moment is Internet Of Things. More and more devices are getting connected into web. Every new device connected is a new, potential threat for our home. For example, a fridge with tablet supported by Android, this is a normal tablet with a OS that allows for many things. If someone will hack, he can get access to whole network in your home.
I think that our generation is the perfect example of proper adaptation to technology. I grew up in time when mobile phones slowly entered the market, than there was evolution of PC to current stage. We had time get familiar with device and learn it. And now ? Young people are bombared by "smart" devices. I think that we should do as much as possible to slowly familiar kids with technology, they should adapt to it.
But can we do this? Can we introduce new technologies to children that they can understend it like us? One of my frustration was a person who understand knowladge at university but have no ability to explain it to me. How this person will share their knowladge to their children? There is so many possible attacks and new methods can appear in future that even the smartest person would feel hopeless.
DeleteIt's really interesting topic. In my opinion computer user should always have free access to knowledge about Internet security. Maybe good solution is begin talk about such topics in school. That step could decrease risky behaviors in web network and make for example financial transaction more secure. The greatest danger for the user is usually his own person, that's why knowledge about security mechanism is so important. In this article author shows how thought command line we can in easy way check what services are connecting with our PC. If somebody for example will use wi-fi without password, all transaction could be visible for someone else. That special commands is able to demonstrate someone who is spy on his PC. In that case such person may see that there will certainly be one connection that will need to be analyzed. Overall, then, I thing that the security is one of the most important topics and should occur more frequently in media.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion media are not the most fortunate channel to educate our children but still they can educate us to rise an discussion in families. Then we should develop applications that could educate younger generations. And we need new books thotching todays problems.
DeleteI think technology around us is very useful and i don't
ReplyDeleteimagine life without my smartphone and Internet. I think IoT is a very fantastic idea
And it will be useful for everyone in the future. But of course we must remember about
Dangers related to all the new technology.
Each time has specific vulnerability connected with the
current political situation and with the technology levels.
Earlier for example in the ancient times people built high fences
Around their houses to protect themselves against
thieves. Nowadays digital data and lives are our most
Valuable issue in the world and we must protect
Them but in different ways than our forefathers used to.
This is rather easy when we have technical education
But what about our children for example? We must
Be very careful and vigilantant when children take up technology around us.
I am convinced that we have only one way to protect
Our children against danger in network. We must talk
With them all the time and we must teach them about the evil inside
TheNetwork. We must make our children aware not only
About the dangers in network but generally about dangers
In our modern life. For me education and conversation can save our
Children because isolation from real life is simply impossible.
It is important to talk to our children. Each day I am more aware this crucial to their development.
DeleteDigital security is emerging problem these days. I guess there is no more need to rob you in the middle of the street, your credit card number is good enough to get your money. This can be get from your browser, email, can be logged when you press keys or you can be even tricked to supply it by yourself to the robber by suggestive message or a phone call. I think that you can protect yourself from amateurs or common known ways of stilling data, but you can't secure everything. Sealers are also developing and still are creating new methods. So I think that digital world would be surprised many times in the future by criminals or specialist hired by criminals for good, above the market bid.
ReplyDeleteIf we reduce access to our data by amateur criminals we can be satisfied about our security because there always be someone smarter then us or they simply outnumber us in our every day skirmish.
DeleteIoT. Yes, very familiar with. I’d say that more and more companies or cloud solution providers are now looking at security issue now. The latest attempts are directed towards true anonimization of data hosted or exchanged before devices. As the information is meaningful only when it.. means something. If it is stripped from the context it is barely useful. So.. instead of causing any harm, perhaps it could be still useful. One of the examples could be your anonymised health data digitalised and shared so as certain patterns could be found.. how about that?
ReplyDeleteRegarding kids protection.. ignorance is not blessed. Hence, the more they are aware of, the less threats they are exposed to.
Yes, I remember those days when my friends parents put a firewall on the router so he will not go to any of the "forbidden" websites. First we laughed and then we disabled the firewall, it was child's play (pun intended).
ReplyDeleteYou can not win the battle agains technology. It looks especially silly when governments do that and then they wonder why there is such high VPN traffic. In Saudi Arabia more that half of the population uses VPN because without it being connected to internet is totally pointless.