by Dave Moore, CISSP
07/30/2023
Want to learn how to be safe on the Internet? Have I got a deal for you: come the the Norman Public Library Central Location September 20, 2023, at 6:30pm and take my one-night class, “Fight The Internet Bad Guys & Win!” Free and open to all ages, visit pioneer.libnet.info/event/8770968 or call 405-701-2600 to register and learn more.
When looking at issues like cybersecurity and Internet safety, many folks spend a lot of time focusing on technical solutions: do I have a good firewall? How’s my antivirus? Is my router secure? Technical solutions are great, but more often, it’s the human factor that needs the most attention.
We all want to be safe on the Internet, but all the firewalls and strong passwords in the world can’t force a human to make wise decisions to stay out of trouble. Wisdom comes from knowledge, and knowing how to apply it correctly, which starts with teaching and learning. It’s like car safety. You can build the strongest and safest car in the world, but if the driver doesn’t know how to drive safely, there’s going to be a wreck.
Even the SANS Institute, the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization, has titled their latest annual Security Awareness Report for 2023, “Managing Human Risk,” because that’s where the greatest risks lie. The problems usually aren’t instigated by our computer systems; they are started by the human operators.
This goes right to the heart of what you and I do, and the work I do with the Internet Safety Group: Internet safety community training. The quest to create an Internet safety-aware culture.
In spite of a multitude of good intentions, security awareness training has turned out to be a dismal failure. The world is in the midst of an unprecedented cybercrime wave, with no end in sight. This is because for decades, most all cybersecurity and “security awareness” training has been aimed at only two groups: little school kids, and government/corporate employees, with none of the training offered being particularly effective.
What about everyone else? Why have the majority of folks who use technology and the Internet been ignored when it comes to Internet safety training? It’s as if most people driving cars today don’t know the steering wheel is one of the most important parts of the car.
The majority of people using the Internet don’t know how to be safe on the Internet. That’s the sad truth of it. They just don’t know what the heck they’re doing out there. They’re trying to do the best they can, clicking around willy-nilly, trying to figure things out, clicking on who the heck knows what they’re clicking on.
They don’t really know how any of this works. They don’t know what a browser is. They don’t know what a network is. They sure don’t know what the Internet is. They don’t even really know what happens when you click a mouse. Do you know why that is?
It’s not because they’re stupid, or too old to “get it,” or anything like that. I work for a lot of very educated people. Brainiacs. High-end PhD’s, Mensa-class geniuses, and they’re falling for fishing scams and being victimized by identity theft the same as folks who barely made it out of high school.
It’s because nobody ever taught them how to be safe on the Internet. Nobody. Internet safety training and education for the general public is virtually non-existent. What should be part of general life education, just like how to read and write, simply isn’t there.
Next week: some things we can all do to fix the situation.
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd, he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org