Cybersecurity expert Andrew Brown has warned parents that children may be interacting with strangers online without their knowledge.
Brown was speaking at the Cybersafety for All seminar in Windhoek on Wednesday, saying platforms such as Roblox can provide children with social interaction, but parents may not know who their children are communicating with or what those interactions could lead to.
“Who are they meeting in these chat rooms? You don’t know,” he said.
Brown urged parents to teach children to remain anonymous online, leave conversations when interactions become inappropriate and never meet people they have only met online.
He said parents should also establish clear rules around device use, including access times, downloads and passwords, while maintaining open communication with their children.
Information security and cybersecurity specialist Sheldon Shava warned that the risks extend beyond children, saying criminals can also use information people publicly share online to build detailed profiles of potential victims.
Shava said information from platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be collected and used to create highly targeted attacks.
“You create a profile, then that profile will be used against you,” he said.
He described this as “hyper-personal” phishing, where criminals use information gathered about a specific person to make their attacks appear more believable.
Shava urged people to limit the amount of personal information they make public and to verify unusual requests before taking action.
He said someone receiving an unexpected request for money or another urgent action should contact the supposed sender directly to confirm whether the request is genuine.
He also advised families to create private code words or phrases that can be used to confirm someone’s identity during sensitive conversations.
