More and more people are now able to access computers and the Internet. With the users having different levels of familiarity, this presents an opportunity for those who create malicious software to target more people. They know that a growing user base also means that the population of those unfamiliar with the ways of the Internet is increasing, too. And these are people of all kinds – the elderly, those staying at home, and even professionals. This is why critical infrastructure security is important. There will always be people who will be vulnerable to software attacks, so a good strategy is to build a good defense system.
Some households have more than one computer. If you live in one of these, you can use this as learning ground for how system security works. This way, you can tell your family members about the importance of keeping their computers secure. Who knows, this may stir up your children’s interest in how it all works, and it could lead them to a career in IT security.
Be the Administrator
Your operating system lets you create multiple user accounts. You can assign each as either user or administrator . If you have younger children, you can set their own computers as users while you act as the administrator. This will give them a sense of how the hierarchy works. It will be up to you to decide what level of accessibility you want to give them.
You can give them write and read access to system folders. You can also give permission or restrict them from installing programs. This is a good way of establishing boundaries on how they can use their computers. Show them how you are managing your home’s entire network, and that you are doing this to keep everything secure.
Set Firewall
As the administrator, you can set the firewall to block certain websites. You can do this on the router itself, and for added security, you can do it on the OS level on the individual computers. There are a lot of malicious websites out there, and this is the best way to filter out the bad ones. You can explain to them how harmful software can quickly spread into your home, and its main gateway would be through your home network.
Communication System
With all the restrictions set, these are bound to be encountered by your kids. There may be programs that they want to have on their computers but are blocked by the system security, even if they are harmless. This is where your communication system comes in.
In your office, you need to contact your system administrator in case you need to update your software. You can do the same at home so that you and your kids can also have a feel on that administrator-user dynamic. It would be a good training ground for them; their expectations will be set of how the whole security system works in real life.
This will be a fun activity for you and your kids, and they can learn a lot about the importance of system security. It is good to train them young so that they have an understanding of the risks you can face on your computer and how they can protect themselves from these. With many people becoming more dependent on computers, being computer literate is a must.
