Time, for every parent is of the essence. In striking the perfect balance between family, career and everything else, we rely heavily on technology to makes our lives simpler. Conveniences via technology benefit us by eradicating the need to physically go from place to place to complete daily tasks. However, with technology comes implications on security – how can we balance convenience and online privacy?

Paying To Save – The Real Price of Convenience
Technology allows the digitally-savvy parent to pay bills, track finances and even purchase household necessities in the comforts of home. On online shopping sites, parents can purchase the best deals on clothes, children’s books and baby accessories online and have them delivered to the doorstep! Unfortunately, deals that seem too good to be true most likely are.

Parents should always take the time to check if the site is legitimate and secure, before making any transaction. Cybercriminals are known to capitalize on the popularity of online shopping, spoofing popular online sites to make them resemble the real thing. Parents may unwittingly provide personal information like addresses, contact information and financial credentials to the waiting hands of cybercriminals.

When shopping online, it’s also useful to keep in mind not to shop over unsecured, Wi-Fi networks where cybercriminals may lurk in wait. Also, bookmarking a trusted site ensures that you will always visit the same, secure sites with the legitimate deals, every time.

Think Again: Will You Share That With Strangers on the Streets?
Think of online sites as a stranger on the streets – where will you draw the line when it comes to sharing information? The anonymity of the Internet means that you wouldn’t know who is on the receiving end. Are your social networks and accounts private and limited to the eyes of your friends only?

Everything you post online leaves a digital footprint. From online profiles or accounts, cybercriminals can harvest valuable personal information like birth dates, addresses or maiden names – all information that are known to be used by financial institutions to verify transactions, or used as ‘security questions’ to gain access to online accounts. Areas of interests can also easily be ascertained, so you receive scams and spams that you’re more likely to fall for.

With such information about your family openly available to everyone online, you’ll never know who will be using this against you and what you stand to lose. This can be easily prevented, though, by simply carefully monitoring and optimizing privacy settings on your social networks or on your browser.




Titanium – Strength Protection For The Family
Protecting the family is of utmost importance to any parent. Here are three simple tips for parents to ensure that they keep what’s rightfully theirs, and take action to secure their digital lives and that of their families.

• Always check that a site is marked secure with a lock icon for https in the URL to ensure you’re submitting information or transacting on a secure site.
• On social networks, optimize your privacy settings to ensure that you do not let any strangers in on your family’s daily lives.
• Consider installing an Internet security solution that automatically identifies potential traps, so you can avoid divulging more than you should and enjoy your digital life with a peace of mind.

By Terrence Tang, Senior Director of Consumer Business, APAC Center Sales and Marketing, Trend Micro.

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