Vigilant Concepts Group, Inc
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Complete InterGuard, WebWatcher, and Mobile Monitor Suite!
Interguard is a complete insider threat prevention platform that is deployed at the consumer level and delivered in Saas format. The agent includes web filtering, employee monitoring, laptop recovery, and data loss prevention. All four modules are available separately or together through one agent download and viewable through one control console that is web-based and can be accessed from anywhere.
We add a plus to our WebWatcher because of the added benefit of a dashboard that is included in the download of our computer monitoring software. The dashboard is another tab that allows the end user to quickly review information that has been recorded and pinpoint problem areas.
Click the following link for more about Webwatcher
Click the following link for more about Interguard
Click the following link to simply register for your Free 7 Day Trial
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Warning Signs Of Cyberbullying
This makes it all the more important for parents to be aware of what is going on with their child’s social life both online and offline. Communication with your child is always important! Parental monitoring software like WebWatcher, and WebWatcher Mobile can help ensure that cyberbullying on your child’s PC is a non-issue.
The Nemours Foundation says possible warning signs of cyberbullying include:
•Acting distressed after being on the Internet.
•Withdrawing from social activities or friendships.
•Avoiding social gatherings or not wanting to go to school.
•Seeing grades fall.
•Having behavior problems at home or school.
•Showing changes in mood, appetite or sleep patterns.
Cyberbullying
With the almost constant access that we have to the internet and social media today, whether through personal mobile devices, laptops, school computers, or personal gaming systems, the opportunities for exposure to online harassment have never been greater. Experience has shown that cyberbullying represents a real threat to mental health and physical safety. A 2007 survey conducted by cyberbullying.us with a random sample of 200 11 to 16 year olds in the southern United States found that 19.0 percent of girls and 16.1 percent of boys admit to having cyberbullied others. Based on trends in internet access, especially to social networks via cell phones and personal mobile devices, coupled with the common belief that cyberbullying is easy to hide from parents and teachers, this figure has increased in the three years since the survey.
As The New York Times points out, “Cyberbullies themselves resist easy categorization: the anonymity of the Internet gives cover…” But parents, floundering to protect their children, keep an eye on their online activities, and understand new technology should not feel helpless about this problem. The first step that many parents struggle with but must take is to make an effort to become cell-phone and social media literate. It is important to understand the methods that teens use to communicate, which can be abused as harassment tools. Then, parents need to implement security software on home computers, including keyloggers, and find a way to keep tabs on cell phone and mobile device activity - as that same NYT article says, to turn “cell phones into parenting tools.”
But beyond taking action, it is also important for parents to understand cyberbullying. Cyberbullying includes sending mean messages or threats via any communication portal, spreading rumors, sexts, or sexually suggestive pictures, posting hurtful or threatening messages about others, and pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person. Students who admit to having cyberbullied someone point to unsurprising reasons: to show off to friends, a desire to be mean to or embarrass someone, for fun or out of boredom, as retribution, or because “they deserved it.”
What parents need to understand is that the absolute anonymity possible on the internet can lead even the teens that seem like the least likely culprits to commit acts of cyberbullying. This is why communication, clear rules, and effective monitoring through tools such as keyloggers and parental control software can be so effective at helping parents to put a stop to cyberbullying – they help parents identify behaviors indicative of harassment and then make it more possible for parents to address the problem directly with their children.
Download a 7-Day Free Trial of WebWatcher Software.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Internet Predators
Here's what they know that most adults don't: there are way too many of them for Internet security forces to catch them all.
1 in 5 kids will be approached by a sexual predator? |
And sadly, there's nowhere near that many online safety experts or Internet security officials out there protecting your kids. This is why the ones we do have are so busy – they're trying to keep up.
There are also 30 million kids accessing the Internet in America today, and 1 in 5 will be approached by a sexual predator. That's 6 million children that will be approached by an Internet predator. As you can see, the numbers are just staggering.
And these predators aren't dumb by any means – they can take months to lull a child into a false sense of security. This is why children who are naturally caring, easily tricked, or seeking affection are most often victimized. They're the kind of targets that respond to the attention that a predator is willing to give them.
Internet security experts recommend that you treat your child's online habits like you would a Saturday night date: ask where they're going, who they talk to, what was said. It's also important to keep the computer in a family area, limit its use, and watch your child for changes in his or her behavior.
And never, ever, underestimate an Internet predator.
Most online safety experts also suggest that you get some quality computer monitoring software. This is why WebWatcher was created. It's easy to use, and completely invisible while it's running. It records every chat, email, and website that your child sees on the Internet.
If you're a vigilant parent, it's the only way to even the odds.
Sex Offenders
But recently in Wisconsin, a local mother learned that it's much worse than she could ever have imagined.
The sex offender that went to prison for assaulting her daughter was apparently showing other inmates photos of the girl, along with her address. His friend, another sex offender, used that information to send letters to the girl. In them, he advised her to go to Myspace, the most popular of the social networking sites, to see his profile.
And it's all legal.
Thankfully, he sent the letters the old fashioned way, and the mother could intercept them before yet another sexual predator could approach her child.
Last month, a similar phenomenon was discovered in Massachusetts, where registered sex offenders were found to be posting profiles on Myspace, which is especially popular with teens and tweens. This demonstrates, loud and clear, that in spite of their positive influences social networking sites provide the perfect venue for Internet predators.
There are no laws right now prohibiting sex offenders, prison inmates, or other Internet predators from advertising themselves in this way. And even if there was, catching them all would be near impossible. According to the FBI there are in the neighborhood of 50,000 Internet predators trolling the net at any given time.
Clearly it will take a great deal of vigilance on the part of parents to keep their kids safe online, even if legislation does catch up to these and similar situations. Thankfully this is what parental control software is for. Web filters are too easy for kids to get around, but WebWatcher allows parents to block pages and simultaneously record everything that happens on their computer.
The incident in Wisconsin aside, most sex offenders won't send letters when they're hunting your child, they'll send email.
Hopefully, with parental control software, spy software, parents can intercept these too.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
How do these things work???
The Taser, manufactured by Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., is a gun-like device that uses compressed nitrogen to fire two metal probes about 20 feet.
Each Taser cartridge, containing the probes and compressed nitrogen gas propellant, has a unique serial number. The number and the Taser itself are logged to a specific officer trained in its use. Taser International has to activate the serial number before the gun will work.
When a Taser cartridge is fired, compressed nitrogen gas propels two probes toward its target. At the same time, each cartridge sprinkles 20 to 30 pieces of confetti with the serial number of the cartridge printed on each piece.
The propelled probes are tethered to the Taser by metal wires, which conduct 50,000 volts, but very little amperage, into a person's body.
The 50,000 volts create a spark that will transmit electricity through 2 inches of clothing, but only short pulses of 400 volts actually enter the body. By shuffling feet on a carpet and touching a doorknob, any person can discharge, and feel, 20,000 volts of static electricity.
It is the electrical current, measured in amperes (or amps), that causes damage to the human body. A 110-volt wall socket delivers 16 amps. The average Christmas tree bulb has about 1 amp of current. The Taser delivers 0.0021 amps, or 2.1 milliamps.
That electricity interferes with communication within the nervous system, causing muscles to contract and making movement uncontrolled. Tasering provides a five-second "window of opportunity" to handcuff a suspect before he or she regains muscle control.
Source: Taser International

