With most children having access to and owning smartphones and tablets, the age at which children begin to become familiar with the digital world and technology continues to decline. Therefore, it is important for parents to stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats targeting children to protect them from potential harm. In this post, Kaspersky experts explore some of the important cybersecurity trends parents should know about and offer tips on how to protect your children’s online activities.
Children will increasingly use AI tools, but so far we are not equipped to provide them with the level of cybersecurity or age-appropriate content they need.
According to a UN study, around 80% of young people say they interact with AI multiple times a day. As AI advances, a number of lesser-known applications have emerged with seemingly innocuous functions, such as uploading a photo and receiving a modified version. However, when children upload their images to such applications, they do not know in which database their photos will end up or whether they will be used further.
Additionally, AI apps, especially chatbots, can easily serve age-inappropriate content on request. For example, there are many AI chatbots that are specifically designed to provide “erotic” experiences. Although age verification may be required, this is dangerous because some children may choose to lie about their age and prevention of such cases is inadequate.
1. Rise of malicious attackers targeting young gamers
The latest online statistics show that 91% of children between the ages of 3 and 15 play games on any device. In some games, unmoderated voice and text chat is a large part of the experience. As more young people participate online, criminals can effectively build trust just as they would in person. First, cybercriminals gain young players’ trust by luring them with gifts and promises of friendship. Once they gain a young gamer’s trust, they can phish them by inviting them to click on a link, obtain their personal information, download malicious files disguised as Minecraft or Fortnite game mods onto their device, or even groom them. there is.
2. The development of the children’s fintech industry signals the emergence of new threats
More and more banks are offering children-specific products and services, such as bank cards designed for children as young as 12 years old. However, the introduction of bank cards for children makes children more susceptible to financially motivated threat actors and more susceptible to negative consequences. It’s a classic scam that promises to give away a PlayStation 5 or other valuable assets for free if you enter your card details on a phishing site. Cybercriminals can exploit children’s trust by using social engineering techniques to pose as colleagues and request them to share card details or transfer money to their accounts.
3. The number of smart home threat cases where children are potential targets will increase.
Despite the rise in cases of threats to smart home devices, manufacturers are in no hurry to develop cyber immunity technologies that proactively prevent exploitation of potential vulnerabilities. However, this also means that children can become tools of attack for cybercriminals. For example, if a smart device becomes a fully functional surveillance tool and a child is home alone, cybercriminals can contact the child through the device even when the parent is not at home and provide confidential information such as name, address, time, etc. You can request information. Parents’ credit card numbers. Such a scenario not only carries the risk of device hacking, but also financial data loss and physical attack.
4. Children will demand that their online spaces be respected.
As children grow, they develop greater self-awareness, including an understanding of their personal space, privacy, and sensitive data in both offline and online activities. So even if parents clearly communicate their intentions to install digital parenting apps on their devices, not all children will accept it calmly. For this reason, parents now need the skills to discuss their children’s online experiences and the importance of parenting digital apps to ensure online safety while respecting personal space. This includes setting clear boundaries and expectations and talking to your kids about why they’re using the app.
5. Children want to download apps that are not available in their country, but encounter malicious copies.
If an app is not available in your area, young users look for alternatives, which are often malicious copies. Even if you use official app stores like Google Play, you still run the risk of falling prey to cybercriminals. Kaspersky researchers discovered more than 190 apps infected with the Harry Trojan that users subscribed to paid services without their knowledge from 2020 to 2022. A conservative estimate of the number of downloads of these apps is 4.8 million, but the actual number of victims is likely much higher.
“As you can see, many of the trends happening in society are also impacting children, making them potential targets for attackers. It includes the spread and even the expansion of the world of gaming and fintech industry. Therefore, from an early age we learn the basics of cybersecurity, how to avoid falling into the trap of cybercriminals, what can happen while gaming. It is important to teach children about cyber threats and how to properly protect their personal data. All this has now become essential knowledge not only for adults, but also for the youngest users,” says Kaspersky Security and Privacy. Expert Andrei Sidenko comments:
Kaspersky Lab experts believe that parents will need to take proactive steps to protect their children from cybersecurity threats in 2024.
1. By staying informed about the latest threats and actively monitoring their children’s online activities, parents can create a safer online environment for their children.
2. It is important that parents openly communicate with their children about the potential risks they may encounter online and apply strict guidelines to ensure their safety.
3. To help parents introduce cybersecurity to their children in an evolving threat landscape, Kaspersky Lab experts have developed the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Alphabet using key concepts from the cybersecurity industry. With this book, your child will be able to discover new technology, learn key cyber hygiene rules, find out how to avoid online threats and spot scammers’ tricks. By reading this book together, your child will learn how to spot phishing websites, how VPNs and QR codes work, and even learn what honeypots and encryption are and their role in modern cybersecurity. You will definitely understand what you are doing. You can download her PDF version of this book for free to learn the basics of cybersecurity with your kids and build a cyber-secure future.
4. To prevent your child from downloading malicious files during their gaming experience, we recommend installing a trusted security solution on their device.
5. With the right tools, such as Kaspersky’s digital parenting app Safe Kids, parents can effectively protect their children from cyber threats in the digital age.