Fighting Back: Innovative Wireless Broadband Provider Releases Online Safety Course

Motivated by the recent wave of hacking and scamming experienced by both their own customers and the general public, innovative broadband service provider, Wireless Nation, has developed ‘Staying Safe Online’, a course to help Kiwis stay protected.

“Hacking and scams have definitely increased in the last few years, especially after lockdowns,” says Wireless Nation founder Tom Linn. “We decided that as providers, we had an obligation to provide the necessary education to keep people’s sensitive information well protected.”

The recent significant world events have left anyone connected online vulnerable to attacks, and no one is an exception. From everyday Kiwis to Waikato Hospital, cyberattacks have grown more prolific.

“We did some research behind what the main areas that make Kiwis vulnerable to hacks or scams. We found that it typically comes down to password safety, phishing, fake or misleading information, and device safety. Our course will be broken down into four modules that focus on each of these key factors,” Linn says. ‘

Each module will be run online by the Internet Safety advocates at Wireless Nation and only take users about 15 minutes to complete, after which they will receive a certification and the tools to stay protected online. However, these certificates will expire after a year.

“Scammers are getting smarter. Every day we’re seeing new ways in which they manage to access private information like banking and passwords. The key to staying safe is to be one step ahead of them,” says Linn.

The ‘Staying Safe Online’ course will be revisited by Wireless Nation every year, ensuring that it is on top of scamming trends and providing users with the best and most up to date advice.

While the recent increase in online scams has propelled the development of this course, Linn also notes that this is still a relatively taboo subject.

“We often find that people feel embarrassed to admit when they’ve been scammed or hacked. Our goal is to teach people that this is not an uncommon thing and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. The best defence against these criminals is to educate yourself.”

Wireless Nation is currently offering this course for free to its customers and at a cost to non-customers. However, they have aspirations to go bigger.

“Our plan is to take this course into universities and schools and educate young people on best practices for staying safe online.”

As of early June, Wireless Nation has released ‘Password Hygiene’, the first of their four-part course. The proceeding courses will be released every three months.

Linn says, “At Wireless Nation, we pride ourselves on connecting our communities. Now, we want to make sure that is being done safely.”

Course page: wirelessnation.co.nz/staying-safe-online/

ABOUT WIRELESS NATION

An innovative internet service provider, Wireless Nation delivers high-speed broadband access across urban and rural New Zealand. They are winners of the Best Wireless Service Provider 2020 and 2021 and Best Specialist Broadband Provider 2019 category at the Broadband Compare Awards, and the Dick Waters Memorial Trophy for Excellence in the Motorhome Industry 2018.

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