Between July 5−11, the Terra Scientia on Klyazma Russian Educational Youth Forum organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs is holding the second session Young Professionals in IT Development and Related Industries. The last day of the forum session focused on cybersecurity. On July 10, CCTLD Director Andrei Vorobyev held a workshop for participants titled “The role of digital hygiene in increasing user information security.”
Vorobyev explained that digital hygiene has several aspects: awareness of online threats, practical recommendations for those who have already faced those threats, and maintaining a comfortable and safe, “clean” digital environment.
Training, however, prevents the ostrich effect when overprotected users (particularly, children) are not prepared for real threats. “If users are informed about the dangers of the internet there is a chance they can detect them early. The chance is rather high,” Andrei Vorobyev noted.
The Coordination Center employs various methods to improve users’ online literacy and cybersecurity knowledge. The center organizes special events for children of different ages, teachers and librarians. The center developed the Explore the Internet & Govern It! game that pursues the same goal through interactive means and a competitive format that gives an additional impetus for learning. The game is widely popular and highly regarded by experts. This year’s national online championship will take place for the sixth time.
Andrei Vorobyev also said that the CCTLD and its projects, including Netoscope, help online users to independently fight unlawful content and create safe surfing conditions for other users. They use website check services and feedback forms to report infected websites. All information goes to a database for analysis. Experts study patterns and make forecasts to better understand violators’ intentions and major vulnerabilities.
“Feedback from users and regular cybersecurity monitoring allows us to promptly detect risky websites and block them. We are able to employ all aspects of digital hygiene to minimize risks of encountering various online threats,” Andrei Vorobyev concluded.
