Security Help

[tobias]

Hello,

As a concerned parent, the site "Myspace.com" is getting to be a big problem! Kids are going crazy over this site and even have codes to unblock what's been set at home and school. Is there some software that will block or make it darn near impossiple for kids to into the Myspace site?
Please give recommendation for home use.
Thanks,

Tobias

[PrntRhd]

Need more information, do you have a home router?
Are you running Windows? If so, what flavor of Windows?

Also moved to more likely forum to get help as no help questions should be posted into PC World.

[mjc]

The site also has a policy that no kids under 14 allowed, so you can have their accounts shut down.

[Fred_Flintstone]

As stated above, if you have a router you should be able to block the site there.

I have a NetgearDGB111G and have blocked this site, anyone attempting to go there gets "Site blocked by Netgear Firewall".. :D

[juniper]

If you just have one computer you can just create an entry in the hosts file that resolves myspace.com to 127.0.0.1 if they are savy you can remove their rights on the hosts file so they can not edit it also. and that will take care of it.

[tommy]

In addition to the hosts file suggestion, also add the URL to the "restricted sites" in your browser.

[tobias]

At home I'm using Windows XP Pro SP2 and I have a router. My kids that use the site are over 14 years of age. I blocked the site on my pc but, if you search the web, kids are posting ways to get around various blocks both at home & school, and my kids somehow log into their friends account then gain access to their own stuff. Don't know how they do it and I wonder if it's a security violation? Still, I'd like to block the site all together from my pc.

[PrntRhd]

As Fred noted, you can likely block access to the Myspace site in the appropriate area of your router Admin page. This would require the kids to break your admin password to get around it on your LAN or access via Dial Up Networking. Of course they still could access the site from outside your house, like at the other kid's houses.
Also assuming the router is in a secure location.

[Fred_Flintstone]

Sorry to go off on a rant here..but it is vital in my opinion that kids are blocked from using this site!

From bitter personal experience I can tell you this is NOT a safe place for kids.
Not too long ago, my 15 year old daughter came within 6 hours of meeting up with a paedophile after being "groomed" online for months, most of the time she spent online was at myspace.com and some of the stuff being swapped around on that site by children is unbelievable!!

I got suspicious when I noticed that screens were being hurriedly changed/minimised every time I got up out of the chair or entered the room or whatever. I installed a spy program on the pc to see what was going on and saved screenshots etc and notified the police. The upshot is(to cut to the chase).. my daughters are no longer allowed online unless their mother or myself are actually sitting with them!!

The aforementioned bastard (excuse the lingo) who turned out to be a previously convicted paedophile, is now serving 6 years in a british jail because there were dozens of young girls all over the UK involved in this grooming ring.

A salutory lesson for all peeps with kids:

When they say "I am only talking to my friends".. remember.. you do not know who those "friends" are.. kids make friends easily and once they have "spoken" online a few times, it could be jack the ripper for all you know.. but a friend to your kid!

These people are so manipulative that its hard to combat, our daughter did not speak to us for months after this event, WE were the baddies, HE was the victim of OUR interference in HER life etc.. :confused:

Apologies in advance for the rant, but as you will have guessed by now, I feel rather strongly on this subject!!

[juniper]

Unfortunately you cant block the whole world (legaly anyway hehe), and yes there is always a way around any security you setup. Education is your best bet. for your house though you can use content blocking software or hosts files or firewall to block but all have a way around them.