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cyber security

13 Security Browser Extensions and Sites You May Not Know

by Miguel Guhlin October 19, 2023

written by Miguel Guhlin

Worried about contracting a virus or messing around with malware via your browser? Almost twenty percent of computers are subject to web-based malware attacks. Your browser and the plug-ins or security software you add to your browser can help to prevent web-based attacks. Let’s explore a few more security tools during Cybersecurity Awareness Month! We’ll look at some add-ons that can protect your browser and some websites that offer information for school personnel on safeguarding against cyber threats.

Reviewing the Facts

Most school district firewalls and software can protect your school-purchased device. But what about your personal devices? What cybersecurity measures to you employ? Fail to safeguard them and you endanger critical confidential data available via work.

49% of employees use their personal computers for work.
42% of work-from-home employees do not have antivirus protection installed.
Only 22% use “enterprise-grade passwords.” This is in spite of free services like Bitwarden that assist in password management.

All these factors can make the cyber threats worse. Your school district or organization can put automatic protections in place. But these strategies won’t be as effective as you taking action on your own devices.

Six Security Browser Extensions to Try

Ghostery. Hate it when you see Facebook advertising matching results from a Google search? Use the Ghostery extension to block tracking. You can also avail yourself of their private browser and search tools.

AdblockPlus. Block annoying tracking ads with AdblockPlus. This extension can help prevent website-launched malware from infecting your device. You can also prevent pop-ups, video ads, flash banners, and more.

Mullvad VPN and browser. Check out this multi-device, cross-platform virtual private network and web browser (Firefox-based). It comes with a browser extension to better protect your internet connections. You can sign up by month (a few dollars) and renew as needed.

Beef up security against cyber threats and protect data privacy with Mullvad. — Screenshot by author, Mullvad.net

Disconnect. Another anti-tracking extension you can adopt for use. This extension blocks unwanted tracking and masks your IP address when using public Wi-Fi.

uBlock Origin. Another ad-blocking tool you can choose to use.

Bitwarden. “Forgot your password?” You’re not alone. Get a Bitwarden account (free for individuals and available for businesses and schools). Then, use the Bitwarden browser extension to store logins and access them from your phone.

Seven Informational Websites Against Cyber Threats

Safeguarding against cyber threats is a team effort that includes all staff, teachers, clerks, assistants, and superintendents. Here are a few websites that can deepen your knowledge.

Secure Our World. Learn how to protect your family, your business, and more through these CISA.gov videos. K-12 Cybersecurity resources are also available.

Texas School Safety Center. This website offers cyberthreat workshops via Zoom. Sessions on cyber threats and school safety are available to school district personnel.

SchoolSafety.gov. This federal government website offers cyber safety considerations for K-12 schools and districts. It highlights resources for stopping phishing and ransomware, as well as other threats.

Cybersecurity for Students via NICCS. Geared towards preparing for a career in cybersecurity, high school students can explore classes and learn about salaries, college programs, and scholarship opportunities. Also, explore CyberSecurityEducation and CyberDegrees.

Office of Educational Technology. Discover a list of resources for K-12 school districts and higher education institutions.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers two online, self-paced courses to get you started in cybersecurity. The first, Cybersecurity for Educators, supports teachers, paraeducators, and intro level technical staff. The second, Network Security, builds knowledge about cyberthreats in an education space.

Cybrary. This website offers extensive resources, often at no cost. Here, you can listen to cybersecurity podcasts and more.

K12six. Track cyber incidents around the United States and look up your school or district in their online database. See a list of some districts that pop up in Texas with the search term shown:

View cybersecurity incidents by school district and track cyber threats. — Screenshot by author, **K12 CyberIncident Map**

Safeguarding devices against cyber threats, including web-based malware attacks, is more important now than ever before. By employing extensions and add-ons for added protection and by arming ourselves with information and knowledge, we can stay vigilant in protecting ourselves, our schools, our staff, and our students against cyber threats. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, what security measures will you explore and begin to implement?

Featured image adapted by author: Photo by Mediamodifier on Unsplash

October 19, 2023 0 comment

Sidewalk May Share Too Much from Your Alexa

by Lori Gracey June 3, 2021

written by Lori Gracey

As you may know, I am a huge Amazon Alexa fan. I own four of these devices (two at my house, one at my office, and one in my car) and have purchased at least one for each of my relatives. The convenience and time savings that the Alexa provides me is something I don’t want to live without.

However, there are a few times that I am reminded that Amazon devices, like all technology, can also have a dark side, and this is one of those times.

Where the Sidewalk Needs to End

On June 8, 2021, Amazon will automatically enroll all of your Alexa-type devices into a new program of theirs called Sidewalk. Devices this will affect include Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers. Note the word above: automatically. This is going to happen unless you take action to stop it.

“Operated by Amazon at no charge to customers, Sidewalk can help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices to help find pets or valuables with Tile trackers, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home Wi-Fi. In the future, Sidewalk will support a range of experiences from using Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as smart security and lighting and diagnostics for appliances and tools.”
(Amazon website)

Sidewalk is a “mesh network” that is designed to extend your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection range by up to a mile. This is being done to ensure that your devices that are connected to the Internet always have a strong Wi-Fi signal, including those that may be at the end of your driveway like lights. This sounds great, right? It does until you look at it a little closer.

Sidewalk uses a “small portion” of your internet bandwidth to pass low-energy Bluetooth connections and 900 MHz radio signals across all those connected devices, including almost anything Amazon has produced since 2016. If your neighbors don’t have enough bandwidth for their devices to connect via Sidewalk, the program will automatically “borrow” a little bit of yours and share it with them. The goal is create large neighborhood networks.

But how much is a “small portion?” Well, to be honest, it’s really not a lot. Amazon says the total monthly data that may be borrowed from your network is capped at 500MB per account or the rough equivalent of streaming 10 minutes of HD video. That’s not the real problem.

Sidewalk and Data Privacy

While the shared network should be secure, according to Amazon, any network can be hacked. And once that happens, then your data and your devices are in someone else’s hands. That includes your security system and what is said in your home. That’s a definite “no” for me. So I took steps to ensure that none of my Amazon devices will be automatically joined to the Sidewalk program. If you want to do that, too, here are the simple steps. You only need to do this one time for all of your Amazon devices.

Open the Alexa app, tap More at the bottom of the screen, and then tap Settings.
Next, tap Account Settings and then Amazon Sidewalk.
Turn Amazon Sidewalk off if you do not want to participate.

If you want to learn about other privacy measures you should take with your Amazon devices, check out this blog from technology guru Kim Komando.

Image from The Digital Hacker on May 30, 2021

June 3, 2021 0 comment

CTO/CIO Cybersecurity Leadership Technical Support

Resources for Cyber Security Awareness Month

by Dr. Bruce Ellis October 10, 2018

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

As of 2004, Cyber Security Awareness Month has been celebrated in October. This month is sponsored by a division within Homeland Security (the National Cyber Security Division) and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The goal is to encourage all technology users to be more aware of risks and potential online threats which typically target human behavior. You may notice various posts and updates this month across your devices and tools as it relates to cyber security. For example, you may have noticed the Presidential Alert on your cell phone on Wednesday, October 3. Though that alert is to warn of a more widespread disaster, it wasn’t a coincidence that it took place this month. To help you participate, we’ve collected resources, ideas, and activities that can be implemented and shared with students (and teachers).

Resources

Weekly Security Themes – The National Cyber Security Alliance has identified a theme for each week of this month in order to bring more awareness to specific aspects of online threats to consumers, educators/students, and businesses.

FBI Resources for Weekly Security Themes – In conjunction with the NCSA, the FBI has provided specific resources to help educate yourself and students.

CISCO Resources for Weekly Security Themes – CISCO has organized resources that provide more in-depth, relevant information for each week covering topics such as Machine Learning 101 and Data Protection and Privacy.

Science and Technology’s Cyber Security Division Overview Video [4:55] This video shares the major tasks of the Cyber Security Division and how this division brings together government departments and private sector organizations to develop innovative technologies and safer procedures.

Ideas and Activities

CyberSmart! Classroom Activities & Posters – The NCSA partnered with McAfee to distribute free cyber security posters along with accompanying activities to educators. Even if you aren’t able to incorporate the activities this month, consider using them at another time during the year as you discuss various aspects of digital citizenship.

GenCyber Teacher Camp Resources – The University of Tulsa has organized a GREAT list of lesson plans, units, activities, and resources for educators. Be sure to explore and share with others!

Cybersecurity Lab – Teens will find this a fascinating and intriguing game to play as they learn what fosters authentic scientific exploration. The four major gameplay components consist of Coding Challenge, Password-Cracking Challenge, Social Engineering Challenge, and Network Attacks.

CERIAS Lesson Plans and Presentations – The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) has gathered and organized an excellent list of lesson plans for educators. The categories of lesson plans include lesson plans for all grade levels, lesson plans for K-5, and lesson plans for 6-12.

eGFI Lessons and Activities – The Engineering, Go For It (eGFI) organization has put together several activities that you’ll enjoy sharing with your students. Along with the activities is a list of related lesson plans!

NICCS Resources for Engaging Students in Cybersecurity – The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (a part of the Department of Homeland Security) has put together a helpful guide to lead educators in bringing awareness of careers in the cybersecurity field.

Winning the Cyber Security Game – If you are a middle school teacher, you’ll enjoy using this lesson plan with your students. Canadian educators will appreciate that it is aligned to the Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools. Anticipate the activity taking one hour for 5th and 6th grade students and up to three hours for 7th and 8th grade students.

Free Resources for Teaching Students Cyber Security – Orion Technologies provided an “ultimate list” of resources for teachers. To better assist you in finding the perfect resources, they have divided them into the following groups: for teachers, for administrators, for younger kids, for pre-teen and middle school kids, and for older kids.

Cyber-Security Starter Activities – STEM Learning provides two starter activities to help get you started with educating students age 14 to 19 in aspects of cyber security.

Unplugged Activities – Did you realize you can teach cyber security concepts without the Internet?! Bits N’ Bytes by Kyla provides you with a lesson plan for 4th through 8th grade students that will take up to two hours to complete.

Find More…

If you would like to search for more ideas and resources, consider doing a Google search using this as your search query [ cybersecurity site:.gov ]. This query (without the square brackets) will limit your search results to websites that have the .gov domain. If you want to search for information provided by universities, then change the .gov to .edu. Here are the search results for each: using .gov and using .edu.

If you feel like you have the skills and interest to become an ethical hacker, then check out Penny Hoelscher’s post at comparitech, 6 courses to learn ethical hacking online. Other resources to investigate include #ethicalHacking, #hackerNews, #infosec, and #cybersecurity. And, if you have high school students who seem to have a knack for ‘getting into things,’ then this may be a honorable career pathway for them to make good use of those talents.

October 10, 2018 0 comment

Cybersecurity

Four Cyber Security Tips for Teachers

by Guest Blogger February 2, 2018

written by Guest Blogger

If you’re an educator, then you’re no stranger to technology. From your classroom’s smartboard to your school’s online grading software, you’re constantly in touch with tech. Unfortunately, this constant connection can put you—and your students—at risk of cyber security attacks. Here’s how teachers can stay safe in today’s tech-centered classroom.

1. Beware of Phishing Scams

Phishing scams can be incredibly easy to spread from one member of staff to another until all the teachers and administrators in your district have been hit. Phishing scams typically come through email and are designed to look legitimate in order to obtain sensitive data, such as usernames and passwords. They may appear to come from another member of staff to look trustworthy, but in reality, this person has already been hacked.

In 2017, a phishing scam posing as Google Docs made the rounds through media outlets, businesses, and educational facilities. Victims of this scam, however, opened access to their Google accounts to the hackers, which included sensitive information like emails and private documents. Since teachers often collaborate through Google Docs, it was only natural to click the link in the email.

It’s important to have caution with these types of scams to ensure your classroom data and personal information about your students don’t end up in the wrong hands.

2. Encrypt Your Data

Another way hackers can get their hands on your classroom data is by intercepting it in transit. Without encryption, hackers can easily see what files you’re sending and receiving. For example, they might hack into a public Wi-Fi network to eavesdrop on any activity sent over the network. If you’re working over public Wi-Fi over the weekend, you may be leaving yourself vulnerable to attack.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a good solution for encrypting your data no matter the network you’re connected to. Some larger schools, such as universities, have their own VPNs set up that funnel your data first to their servers. Teachers at smaller schools might consider using their own VPN service to secure their data.

3. Secure Your Devices from Physical Attacks

Hackers on the internet aren’t the only threat teachers have to worry about. It’s also important to be wary of other staff members and students. Given the right opportunity, someone in the school could log in to your school account or steal your computer or iPad from the classroom.

Start by making sure your passwords are secure. Frequently change your password throughout the school year, and don’t ever write it down. Always make sure to log out of your computer when you step away from your desk, and avoid letting students use your computer, especially when it’s logged into your account.

If you have a laptop or tablet you use in the classroom, be sure to keep it in an area where students can’t get to it when you’re not using it. Leaving your tablet on your desk when you step out for lunch leaves it vulnerable to theft.

4. Follow Your School’s Cyber Security Protocols

Chances are your school already has cyber security protocols in place to prevent the risk of some of the scenarios mentioned above. For example, you might not be allowed to work on schoolwork over public Wi-Fi, or maybe you’re not supposed to let students use your computer. You may even be required to lock your classroom door during the lunch period. All of these rules are in place for a reason, and it’s important that you follow the guidelines outlined by your school or district’s technology director.

With these tips in mind, you can reduce the risk of having your classroom files fall into the wrong hands. If your employer hasn’t discussed cyber security with you, consider encouraging administration to educate staff, students, and parents about this alarming threat.

This is a guest blog by John Mason. Originally from London, Mason is a cyber security analyst based in Tallinn, Estonia. He can be reached on Twitter @JohnCyberMason. You can read more about staying safe online here and here.

February 2, 2018 0 comment