Graham Cluley argues that it is as important to teach the dangers associated with computers as it is to teach about the computers themselves.
As education increasingly embraces new technologies, schools are now using computers more than ever before. PCs have become an integral part of modern education and, while some teachers understandably bemoan the escalating
importance of ICT in the classroom, there is no doubt that, through education, both teachers and pupils can understand the benefits that technology brings. However, if the many advantages of ICT in education are to be harnessed, teachers, pupils and school administrators all need to be aware of the risks. Safe computing is not a matter to be taken lightly.
Just as the role of ICT becomes more pivotal in the education arena, internet threats are increasing in potency. It has become impractical to leave so much responsibility for security up to school pupils without ensuring that they know how to use computers responsibly. Some students will be curious about the socially unacceptable world of viruses and hacking; however, only by being told how destructive and antisocial these activities can be, and what legal ramifications are in place, will they act responsibly. If students cannot see the direct consequences of poor PC use, many will have a blasé attitude, allowing new and emerging threats to slip through the net.
Pupils need to be taught about all kinds of potential attacks, including spyware, worms, Trojans and ‘phishing’ attacks. While many young people now know not to open attachments from unknown users, cyber criminals are continually coming up with more and more devious attacks designed to slip past unwary users.