With the tremendous growth of the internet and the
proliferation of devices used for every aspect of our personal and business lives,
we must conclude that cyberspace and along with it, cybersecurity, are here to
stay. Cybersecurity has become a huge and very complicated issue.
The 1998 video “Caught in the Web: Staying Safe in
Cybersafe” (The Found Footage Festival, 1998) looks back on what
seems to be a simpler time while educating parents, kids and teens about the
dangers of online predators. Cyberspace safety issues regarding chat rooms,
games, shopping, viruses, pornography, criminals and child predators have
already been identified.
The 2014 CNBC News Report Video “Mistakes Businesses are still
making in Cyberspace” (CNBC, 2014) indicates that businesses
are complacent about cybersecurity and cyberspace safety of their intellectual
property and customer data. Very large companies such has Target and Barclays
have been hacked. This cybersecurity issue is not new; businesses simply have
not allocated resources to move cybersecurity issues to priority levels.
The Government of Canada Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada, 2014) website showcases
thought leadership; it has an excellent framework of current resources to
educate parents, teens, and small/medium businesses. We all know that the
rapidly growing internet and cyberspace make the world smaller and very
connected. Everyone is involved: everyone needs to be part of the solution:
government, businesses and individuals. The biggest issue parents and teens now
face is cyberbullying: hating online has caused teenage suicides. In addition
this website links out to cyber-security risk pages for Mobile, Banking and
Finance, Social Networking, Email, Online Gaming and Entertainment, VoIP,
Downloading and File Sharing and Shopping Online. There is a Get Cyber Safe
Blog and more current resources for downloading. This website showcases how the
internet and cyberspace touches every aspect of our personal and business
lives.
The message is clear; the world has changed. Parents,
Teens, and businesses need to take ownership and work cooperatively with government agencies getting the
message out and learning how to live safely in our very complex and rapidly
evolving global, cyberspace world.
CNBC. (2014, February 18). Mistakes businesses are
still making in cyberspace. (J. Schlesinger, Producer) Retrieved March 16,
2014, from CNBC : http://www.cnbc.com/id/101419109
Government of Canada. (2014). Get Cyber Safe. Retrieved
March 16, 2014, from Get Cyber Safe:
http://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx
The Found Footage Festival. (1998). Caught In The
Web: Staying Safe In Cyberspace. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from The Found
Footage Festival: http://www.foundfootagefest.com/2014/01/caught-in-the-web-staying-safe-in-cybersafe/
