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According to new research from ESG and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), 58% of organizations are consolidating or considering consolidating the number of security vendors they do business with.

Security technology consolidation is bigger than simply winnowing down vendor count.  Organizations are shifting from traditional best-of-breed security technologies to tightly integrated security technology platforms.  The research illustrates this point: While 24% of respondents say their organization tends to continue to purchase best-of-breed security technologies, 38% say they purchase integrated security technology platforms, while 15% are transitioning purchases from best-of-breed products to security technology platforms (note: the remainder responded “don’t know”).

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Welcome back to part 2 of my Metaverse series. If you are after tips and strategies to help your kids navigate the Metaverse safely then you’re in the right place. In this post I’ll share with you how your kids are likely already accessing the Metaverse, the benefits plus how to ensure they have a safe and positive experience. Now, if you’d like a refresher on exactly what the Metaverse is before we get underway, then check out part one here. 

How Many Kids Are Using The Metaverse? 

If your kids have played Roblox, Fortnite or Minecraft then they have already taken the step into this new virtual frontier. Yes, it’s that easy! But how many kids are playing on these platforms?  

Last year, Roblox reported that its online community grew from 30 to 50 million daily users across 180 countries with just under half of the community reportedly under the age of 13. 
Fortnite has more than 350 million registered players and as of August 2022, has between 2.5 and 4 million people playing at any one time. Around ¼ of the players are under 18, with the bulk of players (62%) between 18 and 24 years old. 
53% of Aussie kids aged 6 to 8 and 68% of 9 to 12 year olds are actively playing Minecraft once a week, according to Australian research. 

So, if you’ve got a couple of kids, tweens or teens in your house, then chances are they have probably already had a Metaverse experience! Or, if not yet, then it won’t be long… 

Is There Any Difference Between Video Games And The Metaverse? 

There are actually a lot of similarities between online video games and the Metaverse including the use of avatars and the availability of items to purchase eg a horse in a game or an NFT (non-fungible token) in the Metaverse. However, the biggest difference is that the Metaverse is not just about gaming – it is so much more. In the Metaverse, there are no limitations to the number of participants nor on the type of activity – you can attend meetings, concerts, socialise without the gaming aspect, even undertake study! 

What Are The Benefits Of The Metaverse For Our Kids? 

There are so many good things about the Metaverse for our kids, particularly from an educational perspective. As a mum of 4, I am really excited at the possibilities the Metaverse will offer our kids. Imagine being able to experience a country in virtual reality – walk around, see the sights, its geographical features. I have no doubt that would enthuse even the most reluctant learners. And a recent US study confirmed this. It found that taking students on a Virtual Reality field trip to Greenland to learn about climate change resulted in higher interest, enjoyment and retention than students who simply watched a traditional 2-D video. How good! 

Taking care of my family’s mental health has always been a huge focus of my parenting approach and I am really excited at the great options the Metaverse can offer in the area. As a family, we’ve spent multiple hours using apps like Calm and Headspace to help us meditate and practice mindfulness. But the thought of being able to don a VR headset and be transported to the actual rainforest or the roaring fire that I often listen to, is even more appealing! One of the best parts of the VR experience is that it completely blocks out the ‘real world’ which would make it easier to stay in the flow. Very appealing! 

And while we’re talking benefits, let’s not gloss over the potential role the Metaverse can play in fostering empathy and promoting understanding between communities. There is a growing group of digital creators who are designing Metaverse experiences to do this using Virtual Reality. Homeless Realities is a project from the University of Southern California (USC) where students use virtual reality to tell stories, usually of marginalized communities that have been overlooked by traditional journalism. So powerful! 

How Do We Keep Our Kids Safe? 

As parents, it’s essential that we add the Metaverse to our list of things to get our head around so we can keep our kids safe. Here are my top tips: 

1. Commit To Understanding How It All Works 

While I very much appreciate you reading this post, it’s important that you take action and get involved – particularly if your kids are already. If your kids are using Minecraft, Fortnite or Roblox – sign up and understand yourself how it all works. If your kids have a VR headset and you’re not sure how it works – ask them for a turn and a lesson. Only by experiencing it for yourself, will you truly understand the attraction but also the pitfalls and risks.   

2. Direct Your Kids To Age Appropriate Platforms 

As the Metaverse is still evolving and very much a work in progress, there are very minimal protections in place for users. However, the 3 platforms that tend to attract younger players (Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite) all have parental control features. So, please direct them here – if you can – as you’ll be able to have more control over their online safety. 

Minecraft and Fortnite allow parents to disable chat functions which means your kids can’t communicate with people they don’t know. Roblox will automatically apply certain safety settings depending on the age group of their account. But regardless of what their platform of choice is, always protect your credit card details!! I know Fortnite will only allow kids to make ‘in game’ purchases if these supply credit card details in the checkout. 

3. Make Online Safety Part Of Your Family’s Dialogue 

If your kids are older, it’s likely, you’ll have far less say over where they spend their time in the Metaverse so that’s when your kids will need to rely on their cyber safety skills to help them make safe decisions. Now, don’t assume that your child’s school has ticked the cyber safety box and it’s all been taken care of. Cybersafety needs to be weaved into your family’s dialogue and spoken about regularly. Even from the age of 5, your kids should know that they shouldn’t talk to strangers online or offline, if they see something that makes them upset online then they need to talk to a parent asap and, that they should never share their name or anything that could identify them online.  

The goal of this is to make safe online behaviour part of their routine so that when they are faced with a challenging situation anywhere online, they automatically know how to respond. And of course, as kids get older, the advice becomes appropriate to their age. 

4. Don’t Forget About Physical Safety Too 

Most kids are busting to get access to a VR headset but please take some time to do your research to work out which headsets are more suitable for your kids and your lounge room! There are 2 basic types: some that require a ‘tethered’ connection to a PC or standalone models with built-in computing power. The tethered headsets have traditionally delivered a more immersive user experience due to the extra computational power the PC provides however experts predict it won’t be long before standalone headsets are just as good. The biggest selling VR headset, Occulus Quest 2, can in fact connect wirelessly to your PC with the option to connect via a cable in case the game or experience needs extra oomph! 

Regardless of which type you choose, it’s important that there is a safe play area in which to use the headset. VR headsets completely removes any visual of the real world so please remove special vases and keepsakes and ensure the dog isn’t roaming around. 

‘Cybersickness’ aka motion sickness can be a real issue for some VR users. When you don the headset and are immersed in a different time and space, your body can get very confused. If your brain thinks you are moving (based on what you are seeing through the headset) but in fact you’re standing still, it creates a disconnect that causes enough confusion to make you feel nauseous. If this happens to your kids, consider reducing the time they spend with the headset, having fewer but smaller sessions to get your ‘VR legs’ and checking the VR headset is being worn correctly. 

So, it’s over to you now parents: it’s time to get involved and understand this Metaverse once and for all. Always start with the games and experiences your kids spend their time on but when you’re ready, make sure you check out some of the more adult places such as Decentraland or The Sandbox. Who knows, you might just become a virtual real estate tycoon or set up a business that becomes quite the side hustle! The sky is the limit in the Metaverse! 

Till next time! 

Alex  

The post A Parent’s Guide To The Metaverse – Part Two appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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Many people opt for encrypted messaging services because they like the additional layers of privacy they offer. They allow users to message their closest friends, family, and business partners without worrying about a stranger digitally eavesdropping on their conversation. The same people who message over encrypted services and apps are likely also diligent with securing their internet connections and using a VPN. 

Despite all those safeguards, everyday people are left in the lurch when the companies with which they entrust their information are victims of cyberattacks. That was the case for users of the encrypted messaging app, Signal. Due to a phishing attack and subsequent leak of customer phone numbers, people are looking to identify potential consequences, protect themselves from SIM swapping, monitor their identity, and take measures to make sure their information is safe in the future. 

What Happened?  

A recent cyberattack targeted Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging service.1 The attackers exposed about 1,900 phone numbers belonging to Signal users. While other personally identifiable information (PII), message history, and contact lists were spared, valid phone numbers in the hands of a cybercriminal can be enough to wreak havoc on affected users.  

It is likely that another recent and successful phishing scheme at Twilio was the entry point for the Signal hackers. (Signal partners with Twilio to send SMS verification codes to people registering for the Signal app.) At Twilio, phishers tricked employees into divulging their credentials. 

To rectify the situation and protect users, Signal is contacting affected users and asking them to re-register their devices. Also, the company is urging all users to enable registration lock, which is an additional security measure that requires a unique PIN to register a phone with Signal.  

Lessons Learned

There are many lessons not only companies but everyday people can learn from the Signal and Twilio hacks. Here are some ways you can take action at the first signs of a compromised phone number and to help prevent cyber-events like this from happening to you.  

Know the signs of SIM swapping 

SIM swapping occurs when a cybercriminal gets ahold of your cellphone number and a few other pieces of your PII and registers your phone number to a device and a new SIM card that isn’t yours. If they successfully reregister your phone number, they can then access your data, change account passwords, and lock you out of your most important accounts. 

Luckily, since most of us use our phones every day, SIM swapping is usually detected quickly. If your phone isn’t connecting to the network and you’re not receiving calls and texts, it could be a sign that your wireless provider may have reassigned your number to an impersonator. In this case, contact your wireless provider immediately. 

To make SIM swapping nearly impossible, always turn on multifactor authentication. Also known as MFA, multifactor authentication is a method many online accounts use to ensure that only the authorized user can gain entry. This could entail sending a one-time code by email or text, prompting security questions, or scanning for fingerprint or facial recognition in addition to asking for the account password. MFA is an additional layer of security that’s quick to implement. The extra few seconds it takes to type in a code or stand still for a facial scan is well worth the frustration is causes cybercriminals.  

Be selective with whom you share your PII

These days, everyone has dozens of online accounts for everything from banking and shopping to streaming services and gaming. Since you can’t predict which company is going to be breached next, limit the number of possible doors a cybercriminal could break through to access your PII. In the Signal hack, it was their third-party vendor that was likely the cause of the leaked phone numbers. This unpredictability means it’s best to limit sharing your PII with as few accounts as possible. A great practice is to regularly organize your online accounts and deactivate the ones you no longer use. 

Never share your passwords 

A phishing attack seems to have been the first domino to fall in the Twilio and Signal incident. It could’ve been prevented if everyone followed this absolute rule: Never share your password! Your employer nor your bank nor the IRS, for example, will ever ask you for your password to an online account. If you receive correspondence asking you to share your password, no matter how official it looks, do not comply.  

Phishers often lace their electronic correspondences with an urgent or authoritarian tone, threatening severe consequences if they don’t receive a response within a short timeframe. This is a ploy to get people to act too quickly without thinking through the request. If you receive a message that outlines dire consequences for seemingly small infractions, step away from the message for at least 15 minutes and think it through. Stay calm and follow up through official channels, such as a listed phone number on the organization’s website or a customer service chat room, to iron out the alleged situation instead. 

Stay Protected

Diligent cybersecurity habits go a long way toward keeping you and your family’s PII out of the hands of malicious characters. However, in the case you trust a company with your information but it’s leaked in a breach, McAfee Total Protection can give you peace of mind. McAfee Total Protection offers premium security in various areas including antivirus, identity monitoring, secure VPN, Protection Score, and Personal Data Cleanup. Its advanced monitoring abilities are faster and offer broader detection for your identity. Plus, McAfee Total Protection can cover you up to $1 million in identity theft restoration. 

Keep your eyes peeled for cybersecurity news and breaches that may have affected your PII. From there, take action and leverage McAfee services to help you fill in the gaps. 

1The Hacker News, “Nearly 1,900 Signal Messenger Accounts Potentially Compromised in Twilio Hack” 

The post Encrypted Messaging Service Hack Exposes Phone Numbers appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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