How we assist?
How we assist?
Cyber security awareness:
As ASCSA we focus on raising awareness and understanding of safer internet issues and emerging trends.
We run campaigns to empower children, young people, parents, teachers with the skills, knowledge and strategies to stay safe online and take advantage of the opportunities that the internet and mobile technologies provide.
We work extensively with other stakeholders, such as the research community, industry and academia, to extend the reach of key messages and awareness-raising actions.
We run campaigns to empower children, young people, parents, teachers with the skills, knowledge and strategies to stay safe online and take advantage of the opportunities that the internet and mobile technologies provide.
We work extensively with other stakeholders, such as the research community, industry and academia, to extend the reach of key messages and awareness-raising actions.
Cyber violence against woman and children:
ASCSA provides workshops and drives educational and informative campaigns which focus on different cybersecurity, online safety and privacy topics and has integrated it’s cyber security awareness messaging and tips into a campaign about technology-facilitated Gender Based Violence with the aim of using the findings to inform its technology-facilitated gender violence prevention initiatives and awareness programs in various communities.
Digital Parenting:
Most young people regularly use communication devices, and the amount of time that children spend online is increasing. This raises important questions and concerns about how children are affected by their exposure to the internet. One such important concern is the role played by parents in deciding how their children use the internet. Parents are often the people who provide children with their first device or decide at what age a child is allowed to start using the internet. This means that, sometimes without even realising it, parents are the most important people in determining the nature of their children’s early experiences of the internet and the kinds of activities they engage in online. Digital parenting is the term that describes how parents manage their children’s internet use once they start using the internet. While many people think that digital parenting is about having technical knowledge and teaching their children how to use technology, good digital parenting is often more about ensuring that the rules for good behaviour that many parents put in place offline, are also applied to life online. Some parents may have the knowledge to help their children with technical problems and some don’t, but all parents have the ability to teach their children how to navigate danger and be ethical, responsible citizens.
The African Society for Cyber security Awareness (ASCSA) provides Digital Parenting information and resources for parents and caregivers with the tools they need to confidently navigate the online world with their families. View and download our materials below.
The African Society for Cyber security Awareness (ASCSA) provides Digital Parenting information and resources for parents and caregivers with the tools they need to confidently navigate the online world with their families. View and download our materials below.
Cyber safety for general public:
The internet is an incredible tool. It provides an opportunity to communicate, learn, play and be entertained by content from around the world. While the internet provides many positives there are also risks. Cyberbullying, inappropriate contact, identity theft, scams and exposure to adult content can make the internet a risky place for children. African Society for cyber security awareness organises awareness programs which are beneficial for citizens while they are online.
Tips and Advice:
Tips and Advice:
1. Keep Personal Information Professional and Limited
Potential employers or customers don’t need to know your personal relationship status or your home address. They do need to know about your expertise and professional background, and how to get in touch with you. You wouldn’t hand purely personal information out to strangers individually—don’t hand it out to millions of people online.
2. Keep Your Privacy Settings On
Marketers love to know all about you, and so do hackers. Both can learn a lot from your browsing and social media usage. But you can take charge of your information. As noted by Lifehacker, both web browsers and mobile operating systems have settings available to protect your privacy online. Major websites like Facebook also have privacy-enhancing settings available. These settings are sometimes (deliberately) hard to find because companies want your personal information for its marketing value. Make sure you have enabled these privacy safeguards, and keep them enabled.
3. Practice Safe Browsing
You wouldn’t choose to walk through a dangerous neighborhood—don’t visit dangerous neighborhoods online. Cybercriminals use lurid content as bait. They know people are sometimes tempted by dubious content and may let their guard down when searching for it. The Internet’s demimonde is filled with hard-to-see pitfalls, where one careless click could expose personal data or infect your device with malware. By resisting the urge, you don’t even give the hackers a chance.
4. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure
When you go online in a public place, for example by using a public Wi-Fi connection, PCMag notes you have no direct control over its security. Corporate cybersecurity experts worry about “endpoints”—the places where a private network connects to the outside world. Your vulnerable endpoint is your local Internet connection. Make sure your device is secure, and when in doubt, wait for a better time (i.e., until you’re able to connect to a secure Wi-Fi network) before providing information such as your bank account number.
5. Be Careful What You Download
A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather. As PCWorld advises, don’t download apps that look suspicious or come from a site you don’t trust.
6. Choose Strong Passwords
Passwords are one of the biggest weak spots in the whole Internet security structure, but there’s currently no way around them. And the problem with passwords is that people tend to choose easy ones to remember (such as “password” and “123456”), which are also easy for cyber thieves to guess. Select strong passwords that are harder for cybercriminals to demystify. Password manager software can help you to manage multiple passwords so that you don’t forget them. A strong password is one that is unique and complex—at least 15 characters long, mixing letters, numbers and special characters.
7. Make Online Purchases from Secure Sites
Any time you make a purchase online, you need to provide credit card or bank account information—just what cybercriminals are most eager to get their hands on. Only supply this information to sites that provide secure, encrypted connections. As Boston University notes, you can identify secure sites by looking for an address that starts with https: (the S stands for secure) rather than simply http: They may also be marked by a padlock icon next to the address bar.
8. Be Careful What You Post
The Internet does not have a delete key, as that young candidate in New Hampshire found out. Any comment or image you post online may stay online forever because removing the original (say, from Twitter) does not remove any copies that other people made. There is no way for you to “take back” a remark you wish you hadn’t made, or get rid of that embarrassing selfie you took at a party. Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your mom or a prospective employer to see.
9. Be Careful Who You Meet Online
People you meet online are not always who they claim to be. Indeed, they may not even be real. As InfoWorld reports, fake social media profiles are a popular way for hackers to cozy up to unwary Web users and pick their cyber pockets. Be as cautious and sensible in your online social life as you are in your in-person social life.
10. Keep Your Antivirus Program Up To Date
Internet security software cannot protect against every threat, but it will detect and remove most malware—though you should make sure it’s to date. Be sure to stay current with your operating system’s updates and updates to applications you use. They provide a vital layer of security.
Testimonials
“Don’t get carried away with the euphoria, whatever you share lately on social media may work against you tomorrow or for the rest of your life. Think before you click, don’t be a victim”
“Cybersecurity is not something we can afford to neglect at any point as a country. Not now, not ever. This is why your gathering is not just important to you and the corporate business world. It is of utmost importance to me, to government, and to the people of South Africa.”
“The strength of information security within organisations and countries is very much determined by the information security culture of people. The human factor of information security plays a significant role in securing information assets. National culture has an impact on organisational culture and therefore is also a consideration for enhancing information security culture. This research looks at the value of information security culture in organisations, frameworks for information security culture and the impact of national culture on organisational culture.”
“There are various forms of cyber violence against women and girls, including, but not limited to, cyber stalking, non-consensual pornography (or ‘revenge porn’), gender-based slurs, hate speech and harassment, ‘slut-shaming’, unsolicited pornography, ‘sextortion’, rape threats and death threats, and electronically facilitated trafficking. It often follows the same patterns as offline violence and must be stopped!”