Julia K Cole

Prevention 1. Increase Communication Initiate discussion about your children’s social and online lives on a regular basis. Ask specific questions that generate meaningful dialogue (e.g., instead of “How was school?,” try “What is lunchtime like at your school—who do you sit with, what do you do and what do you talk about?”). Make sure that your demeanor communicates genuine interest and openness as opposed to the desire to control or invade privacy.  2. Monitor Behavior Observe your children in different settings by volunteering at school, participating in extracurricular activities and being watchful during social gatherings. If you notice that your children are overly aggressive, vulnerable to peer pressure or exhibit other behavior that troubles you, talk to them about  your concerns and redirect the behavior. Be vigilant about the warning signs associated with bullying behavior (e.g., social withdrawal, fear of attending school, avoidance of or preoccupation with tec...

In this digital age, we rely on our computers and devices for so many aspects of our lives that the need to be  proactive and vigilant to protect against cyber threats has never been greater. However, in order to be as secure as  possible, we need to use good cyber hygiene – that is, making sure we are protecting and maintaining systems  and devices appropriately and using cyber security best practices. Many key best practices are outlined in the Top 20 Critical Security Controls, managed by the Council on  CyberSecurity. These Controls assist in mitigating the most prevalent vulnerabilities that often result in many of  today's cyber security intrusions and incidents. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) provides free, PDF-formatted  configuration guides (Benchmarks) that can be used to implement the Controls and improve cyber security. Secure Your Wireless Network  Before the days of wireless (Wi-Fi) home networks, it was rather easy to see wh...