Focus on Security. (Software)
Anne E. Kim · T.H.E. Journal Technological Horizons in Education · 2001
Webroot Software Inc.'s ChildSafe 3.0 (previously known as Win Guardian) is an affordable child monitoring tool designed to help parents keep their children safe from Internet predators by monitoring computer activity. The software can be configured to run hidden or display a warning to the user informing them that they are being monitored. ChildSafe 3.0 features block-on-demand functionality that enables parents to watch what sites their children are visiting in cyberspace, what they are doing there and to block access to specific sites deemed inappropriate, offensive or even dangerous. Parents can also import third-party lists of sites they wish to block. In addition, ChildSafe logs files of Internet and computer activity, including screen captures. These files can be e-mailed to parents at predetermined intervals, allowing parents to supervise their children's Internet usage even while they are away from home. Webroot also offers a free Parent's On-line Safety Guide, created in association with child psychologist and author Dr. Paula Bender. The guide lays out a three-step plan for addressing online safety with children. Webroot Software Inc., Boulder, CO, (303) 442-3813, www.webroot.com. Cyber Patrol 6.0 from SurfControl is a sophisticated, easy-to-use Internet filtering, reporting and monitoring tool that helps schools write and implement rules on acceptable computer use to enhance education, safeguard students and limit liability. The software addresses traditional school Internet safety concerns and tackles network management issues such as preserving network bandwidth for educational purposes. With Cyber Patrol, schools can customize more than 35 categories of content to the needs of any group or individual. Material in over 40 categories covers more than 2 million Web sites, including more than 600,000 containing sexually explicit content. Schools can also choose to block Web-based chat rooms where predators often lurk, free e-mail sites that can carry viruses, sites that teach hacking, and those that contain memory-heavy MP3 and video files. To help parents and educators comply with CIPA, SurfControl also provides a Town Meeting kit to help inform parents of their local school's Internet safety policy. SurfControl, Westborough, MA, (800) 828-2608, www.surfcontrol.com. The eSafe line of products from Aladdin offers an all-in-one Internet and content security solution to meet the needs of educational institutions worldwide. eSafe can help schools comply with CIPA; protect networks from hacker tools, malicious code and virus attacks; reduce legal liability by filtering inappropriate content; enforce institutional network and Internet usage policies; and more. The eSafe family of products includes eSafe Gateway for Internet gateways, eSafe Mail for e-mail and groupware servers and eSafe Desktop for home users. eSafe provides proactive, multitiered Internet content security from the gateway to the desktop, protecting the entire institution from malicious codes that destroy or steal digital assets, inappropriate and nonproductive material, the misuse of institution resources and Internet-borne content. Aladdin, New York, NY, (800) 223-4277, www.ealaddin.com. Power On Software's flagship security product, On Guard, is a multi-platform desktop security and computer access management tool that enables institutions to have complete control over a network. On Guard provides powerful anti-tampering security that protects valuable computer files and folders from unauthorized access or unwanted changes. It's ideally suited for schools where a computer is accessible by others, and is valuable where a single computer may be shared by more than one user. With On Guard, educators or network administrators can control access to files and folders on a single computer or across an entire network. It prevents users from renaming, moving, copying and trashing files and folders. …