Multimedia Seattle Children First Launches Cyber Safe Women, a Critical National Online Cyber Safety Educational and Outreach Directory

Online, October 17, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Criminals and Predators are increasingly using technology to identify, pre-assess and victimize ...and they are relying on everything community members don't know or want to see. What community members learn may help save their life or that of a loved one. Seattle based non-profit, Multimedia Seattle Children First has launched a critical National Online Cyber Safety Educational and Outreach Directory to fill a growing, unmet need in our nation's communities.

Diana Key, M.P.A.S., the Director of Multimedia Seattle Children First, emphasizes that families must recognize the threats they increasingly face by criminals and predators who are frequently using technology to identify, pre-assess and victimize.

"Community members who are not involved in the IT Security or Cyber Security Industry have often not had an opportunity to learn that there is technology readily accessible for purchase or through underground sharing online that helps cyber criminals and predators remotely download malware and spyware into women and children's home, work and school computers.

This form of malware is often undetected by common commercial anti-virus software as criminal groups strategically select malware and spyware programs which have been tested against common commercial anti-virus software to ensure they remain undetected.

Just as the annual flu vaccines must be updated for new, advanced and emerging strains of viruses, so must anti-virus software. Yet it is critical to realize that just as the annual flu vaccine cannot protect an individual against each new, emerging strain of flu in the world, neither can the finest or most reputable anti-virus software. It is simply a reality that accompanies the rapid rate of advancement in technology and malware engineering. With increasing frequency, spyware is being used by cyber-criminals/predators to remotely access women and children's' computer webcams. By deeply embedding malware and spyware into a computer's operating system, predators can identify, pre-assess, video tape, audio record and monitor "potential victims" without the woman or child being aware they are being filmed in their own home. Often with every key stroke on the computer being logged with keystroke loggers. Every correspondence….every detail of the woman or child's life. " (Key, 2013)

LINK TO CYBERSAFEWOMEN.ORG ONLINE CYBER SAFETY EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH DIRECTORY
http://www.cybersafewomen.org/home

CYBER STALKING

Crimes such as stalking and domestic abuse often originate from a predator's need to control or regain control or a sense of power in their life. Crimes originating from a need to control or develop a personal sense of power typically escalate with increasingly devastating consequences for victims.

NBC's Today Show featured a critical news segment focusing on how predators are using technology to pre-assess and monitor children and female victims. The NBC Today Show story titled Webcam Hackers Can Spy on you in Secret, shed national light on how predators are using malware (malicious software) to gain complete access and control of women and children's computers to stalk them, video tape them through the webcams in their computer and evaluate them as potential opportunities or prey ….without the women or children even being aware. This is a form of cybercrime and "hacking" used by growing circles of predators.

Criminals and Predators are increasingly using technology to identify, pre-assess and victimize; and they are relying on everything community members don't know or want to see.

LINK TO NBC's TODAY SHOW SEGMENT:
http://www.today.com/news/webcam-hackers-can-spy-you-secret-1C8095607

Cyberstalking is a group of behaviors in which an individual or group of individuals use information technology (IT) or communication technology to harass another individual, group of individuals or an organization. Behaviors may include computer monitoring, physical monitoring through GPS tracking, videotaping of individuals through use of hidden "nanny cams" placed in victim's homes, telephone monitoring, video and audio taping of individuals through use of computer web cams and through advanced malware that can function in similar manners without a webcam.

These behaviors may further include transmission of threats, extortion, identity theft*, remote accessing of business and personal computers, theft of personal data and intellectual property (IP), corruption of critical data or equipment, solicitation for sexual purposes and escalating forms of aggression.

Cyberstalking is often seen in patterns of physical forms of stalking, with electronic mediums and technology such the internet and telephone systems used to pursue, harass or contact another in an unsolicited fashion.

* In this definition, it is important to recognize that the term identity theft includes impersonating an individual, a member of an organization or an entire business.

It is Multimedia Seattle Children First's hope that the National Online Cyber Safety Educational and Outreach Directory will help further national awareness of the risks families face from criminals and predators who increasing use technology to identify, pre-assess, victimize and monitor children and female victims.

VICTIMS OF STALKING HAVE OFTEN COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE STALKER IN THE PAST WITHOUT REALIZING IT

DELUSIONAL STALKERS

The Delusional Stalker fantasizes about his relationship with the victim. As described by Wright (1996), this fantasy is commonly expressed in such forms as "fusion", where the stalker blends his personality into the target's, or Erotomania, where a fantasy is based on idealized romantic love or spiritual union of a person rather than sexual attraction. A Delusional Stalker may create a relationship with the victim in their mind and activities of their life, when there is no relationship.

ORGANIZED STALKERS

An Organized Stalker is one who targets and communicates with the victim through hang-up telephone calls, obscene or harassing telephone calls, e-mails through alias or stolen e-mail accounts, and other anonymous communication. The stalker may present a false identity or alias to cover their true identity if any identity is presented to the victim. Some stalkers may make their presence known to their victim through continuous physical appearances near the victim's place of employment, near her residence or other locations. Increasingly the use of GPS tracking by predators makes women more vulnerable as stalkers literally track each movement and can localize victims in locations and at points of time when she is vulnerable to intimidation or assault.

DOMESTIC STALKERS

Domestic Stalking involves a prior relationship between the stalker and the victim. As emphasized by Wright (1996) domestic stalking often ends in a violent attack upon the victim. Such attacks may occur in various locations such as the victim's place of employment, the victim's home, or another location the victim may be isolated or vulnerable.

STALKERS CAN BE FURTHER CLASSIFIED AS:

• Intimacy Seeking Stalker
• Resentful Stalker
• Rejected Stalker
• Predatory Stalker

INTIMACY SEEKING STALKER

The Intimacy Seeking Stalker hopes to establish a relationship with the object of his affection. As emphasized by researchers Mullen, Pathe', Purcell, and Stuart (1999), he may believe the victim reciprocates his feelings and that a romantic relationship is destined to happen. Intimacy seeking stalkers may even pathologically reinterpret rejection and avoidance by victims as a positive response.

RESENTFUL STALKER

The Resentful Stalker is seeking revenge for some kind of hurt or injury, whether real or imagined. The purpose of the harassment is to frighten the victim so that the stalker feels he has exacted retribution. Resentful Stalkers sometimes may present themselves as victims who are simply fighting back against what they perceive as unjust treatment.

REJECTED STALKER

The Rejected Stalker pursues an ex-intimate, such as a former spouse or girlfriend. In such cases, a close friend or relative may also become the victim of a rejected stalker. Rejected stalkers may be motivated by a need to re-establish control in some area of their life, a desire for revenge against the victim and or be motivated by an unshared desire to achieve some kind of reconciliation.

PREDATORY STALKER

The Predatory Stalker is the most dangerous type of stalker. Any of the above outlined patterns and etiologies of stalking may escalate to predatory stalking. When this occurs outcomes can be devastating for victims and their families. As described by Mullen, Pathe', Purcell, and Stuart (1999), the Predatory Stalker stalks in preparation of a physical assault, usually sexual in nature. An assault completed by the stalker himself or someone recruited by the stalker to harm the victim.

The stalking is a combination of information gathering (personal information, surveillance through computer webcam, unauthorized remote access of the victim's computer, telephone hacking, and placing hidden "nanny cams" in a victim's home, often the bedroom and bathroom). Predatory Stalking is often accompanied by information gathering, unrelenting intrusion into the victim's life and rehearsal in fantasy. Emphasized by Mullen, Pathe', Purcell, and Stuart (1999), the stalking is a means to an end, the end being the assault.

Predators may experience a sustained or escalating need for the gratifying sense of power and control they experience from voyeuristic intrusion and causing further destruction and emotional distress to the victim and her life.

Link to Cyber Safe Women Educational Directory: http://www.cybersafewomen.org/home

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For more information contact Multimedia Seattle, Children First, Telephone 206.706.3925 Pacific Standard Time