Chief Marketing Officer

Head of Corporate Responsibility and Public Policy

Gen Archives

One of the biggest online threats facing people of all ages, but especially teenagers and young adults, is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a growing problem in schools due to the anonymous nature of the internet and the speed in which rumors, threats, and embarrassing photos can be disseminated. Our nonprofit partner, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), launched a campaign to help parents and educators understand what to do about cyberbullying, and I am proud to be a part of it.Last week, I joined NCA and a panel of experts on a webinar to help raise awareness about cyberbullying, while sharing tips for preventing and reporting it with nearly 200 attendees.&nbsp;What is Cyberbullying?&nbsp;We began by defining cyberbullying. The term itself is subjective and changes as technologies change, but the government defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance (1). Online, that can mean anything from private photos being shared without one’s permission to threatening or hurtful messages. Bullies can even impersonate their victim with fake accounts, stealing their social identity to cause more harm.&nbsp;Cyberbullying Tips&nbsp;With children starting their online lives earlier and earlier, technology has enabled bullying on a scale today that didn’t exist generations ago. It’s vital to keep that in mind when you or your children are posting or browsing. Here are a few tips:&nbsp;<ol><li>Keep Some Secrets.&nbsp;You might log into social media for an escape, or to post that cute picture from the hike you went on. But be careful about who can access details of your children’s interests, habits, or even employment to reduce their exposure to bullies they don’t know. Set your privacy settings on your Instagram and Facebook accounts to ‘private’ so that only people know can see your information, not the general public.&nbsp;</li><li>Avoid Escalating the Situation. Responding with hostility often provokes bullies, most of whom thrive on the reaction of their victims. If you or your child receives unwanted emails or messages, consider blocking the sender and reporting it on social media to try and stop the problem immediately. You should also document the bullying, keeping a record of online activities and relevant dates and times.&nbsp;</li><li>Discuss Online Safety with Your Children.&nbsp;As your children begin to spend time online, they are likely to identify social media influencers that they admire and might want to emulate. This may&nbsp;lead to them&nbsp;accepting any and all followers on social media and&nbsp;to over-sharing&nbsp;personal images and videos and sensitive information, which will dramatically increase their risk of cyberbullying. For help beginning these conversations with your children, use our free resource <a href="https://thesmarttalk.org/">The Smart Talk</a> ,which helps families set digital safety ground rules together.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Report Cyberbullying to the Authorities.&nbsp;If you’ve taken measures to stop the problem, but it’s continuing or even escalating, you should reach out to get help. Many school districts have online reporting options, while clubs, sports teams, places of worship, and other extracurricular groups should have someone who can step in and help. If this doesn’t address the problem, or you fear for the victim’s safety, it’s time to contact local law enforcement. While there is a distinction between free speech and punishable offenses, law enforcement officials can help sort out the legal implications and can help let the bully know that you are serious.</li></ol>For more tips, check out NCA’s new <a href="https://staysafeonline.org/online-safety-privacy-basics/cyberbullying/">Cyberbullying Awareness Toolkit</a> or watch the webinar recap here:&nbsp; &nbsp;

Cyberbullying is a serious issue, and we can work together to learn how to identify, prevent, and stop it to make the internet a kinder place for our kids.&nbsp;

NortonLifeLock and the National Cybersecurity Alliance help parents and educators address cyberbullying

How to Help Protect Kids From Cyberbullying

Corporate Responsibility 

November was a busy month at Gen (formerly NortonLifeLock). In addition to <a href="https://newsroom.gendigital.com/2022-11-07-Introducing-Gen-The-Company-to-Power-Digital-Freedom">announcing our new company name</a>, and promoting employee giving as we approach the holiday season, we launched the Gen Giving Hub. This online platform, hosted by Benevity, provides employees with a seamless way to find volunteering, giving, and educational opportunities. To celebrate this launch, Gen gave each employee $50 in “seeding,” which can be donated to a charity of their choice. Since our mid-November launch, 57% of active users have already redeemed their seeding!Even more exciting was the incredible employee generosity we witnessed last week on Giving Tuesday. <a href="https://www.givingtuesday.org/">Giving Tuesday</a>, which was on November 29, 2022, was originally started 10 years ago at the 92nd Y in New York City, is a global movement dedicated to promoting radical philanthropy in all its forms. It has since grown into its own nonprofit that is successful in raising millions of dollars each year for charitable causes around the world.Last year, the NortonLifeLock team raised more than $250,000 in just one day. This year, as Gen we more than doubled that! With an unprecedented employee match donation of 3:1, 694 Gen employees donated $140,910, resulting in $509,992 in total donations to 674 different causes.Mohanakrishnan G, a Gen principal VoC analyst based in Chennai, India, set up a giving opportunity to pool donations from colleagues for Project WINGS. Project WINGS supports 70 orphaned children at the Chennai Good Life Centre by providing communications, computer, fitness, and other life and work skills training. In addition to donating, Mohanakrishnan also serves as a Project Wings mentor. He sees the alignment between Project WINGS and Gen’s goal to enable and motivate the next generation to become their best selves. Regarding the 3:1 donation match, Mohanakrishnan said, “That was a fantastic thing and encourages our employees to contribute towards a community or cause. I appreciate the efforts and want to thank the entire CR Team, my colleagues for donating to such a wonderful cause, and all the employees who contributed.”Michal Trs has organized Movember, an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide, at Avast (now Gen) for about eight years. Having lost his mother to cancer at a young age, Michal is motivated to do what he can to prevent others from experiencing a similar loss. “I’m really grateful to the company leadership and our colleagues around the globe for supporting this fundraiser each year,” Michal said. Within the Czech Republic, Avast (now Gen) has been recognized by Nadační fond Muži proti rakovině (Men Against Cancer Foundation) as the most generous company team for several years running, and many employees look forward to the tradition each year. Erin Gallegos is one of those employees. She has helped to coordinate the annual internal campaign, which over the years has involved moustache stickers, posters, Zoom backgrounds, men’s health events and photo shoots to raise awareness and funds. “Movember is a fantastic and lighthearted way to get people talking about really difficult and personal subjects, and to raise money for underfunded causes. It was very supportive of Gen to provide a 3:1 match to support the cause,” Erin said.In the U.S., Jess Monney, VP of Corporate Brand, Marketing &amp; Communications, made Giving Tuesday a family affair. She chose to give to the Alzheimer’s Association, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Folsom Zoo Sanctuary because the organizations are close to the hearts of her family members. Jess used these donations as early Christmas presents for her family, saying, “For me the holiday season is about looking back and forward. I donated to these causes because they inspire my family throughout the year. With three kids under four, we are at the Zoo most weekends and being able to donate to such local causes within my hometown felt so personal. The 3:1 match really maximized my impact and I was proud to share with my family members that a donation of that scale was made in their name.”Giving Tuesday may have passed, but giving is always in season at Gen. In fact, we now call our corporate responsibility program Giving@Gen. Next up, we’ll be providing corporate grants as part of our holiday giving efforts focused on alleviating food insecurity. Several of the organizations we support through holiday giving, also received donations on Giving Tuesday.We’re excited to continue to utilize the Gen Giving Hub to help enable our employees to support the causes that mean the most to them. I encourage you to get involved in your community! For ideas on donating, volunteering, and showing kindness throughout the year, visit <a href="https://www.givingtuesday.org/givingeverytuesday?sortField=year&amp;sortDir=-1&amp;limit=8&amp;page=1">GivingTuesday.org</a> today.

The company doubles its donations and impact from 2021

Giving Tuesday Highlights Gen's Culture of Giving

This week, the environmental not-for-profit <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en">CDP</a> has recognized Gen for the transparency and thoroughness of our corporate sustainability program, awarding us the high score of ‘B’ on its latest assessment of thousands of companies and their progress on climate.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year’s report marks the first time Gen is disclosing its environmental program to CDP as a new company, and to receive this recognition during a time of transition speaks to the consistency with which we empower our customers, employees, suppliers, and stakeholders to take action on the environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Reporting through CDP allows us to publicly detail the ways our company addresses climate change, its impact on our business, how climate accountability fits into our overall management structure, and how we engage our communities on the issue. The past fiscal year saw Gen take meaningful steps in each of these areas, focusing on efforts that are business-aligned and those with tangible impacts. These include:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Conducting a high-level risk assessment of climate change’s impacts on our business objectives&nbsp;</li><li>Launching a sustainable home improvement grant program, which provides up to $500 per year to employees looking to fund green home projects&nbsp;</li><li>Establishing a baseline year for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and continuing to measure progress against this benchmark&nbsp;</li><li>Reducing GHG emissions in part by optimizing our facilities footprint and consolidating office space&nbsp;</li><li>Completing a life cycle assessment of our physical products and their environmental impacts&nbsp;</li><li>Analyzing what percentage of our suppliers have set ESG goals, including those on climate&nbsp;</li></ul>CDP represents more than 680 investors with more than $130 trillion in assets and assesses the depth and quality of the climate change related information that companies disclose to investors and the global marketplace. Companies complete an annual questionnaire, which CDP then scores based on companies’ awareness of environmental issues, their management methods, and progress towards environmental leadership. This scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of climate disclosure.&nbsp;&nbsp;We're proud to be among the more than 18,700 companies around the world that reported through CDP this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The company’s sustainability efforts earn global recognition

Gen is Recognized for Climate Disclosure on 2022 CDP Report

NortonLifeLock, a leading Cyber Safety brand and part of Gen, has once again been listed on the Dow Joes Sustainability Index (DJSI), celebrating the Company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) achievements on both the World and North America lists. It received its highest sustainability score, earning a score of 51 and ranking in the 97th percentile in the software category.&nbsp;“We are honored the Dow Jones Sustainability Index has again recognized our corporate citizenship efforts,” said Kim Allman, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Gen. “Our commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of our consumers, employees, and communities has never been stronger, and we are eager to continue to model social responsibility and accountability across our business.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The DJSI leverages a Corporate Sustainability Assessment to measure the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&amp;P Global Broad Market Index against long-term economic, environmental, and social criteria. Companies receive a score out of 100 based on global ESG practices, comparing numerous, varied industries on both financial and industry-specific criteria.&nbsp;In this year's analysis, impactful ESG activities contributed to its high rankling, with highlights including:&nbsp;<ul><li>Philanthropy: We donated products to more than 9,300 nonprofits this year, from national organizations to local libraries, helping them keep their data safe and secure. These <a href="https://investor.gendigital.com/esg/default.aspx">social responsibility efforts</a>, along with our employee donation matching and volunteer programs, earned us a score of 44 in the social category, an increase of two points from 2021.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Environmental sustainability: We received 44 out of 100 in the environment category, a score that no doubt reflects reporting in alignment with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, climate risk assessment, and 39% Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions reduction over the past fiscal year.&nbsp;</li><li>Corporate Governance: We continue to disclose data on the racial and gender makeup of both our Board of Directors and our broader employee base. This transparency, along with our Codes of Conduct for our Company, our suppliers, and additional policies, was awarded a score of 62, an increase of two points from 2021.&nbsp;</li></ul>To learn more about our commitments and progress, read the company's <a href="https://investor.gendigital.com/esg/default.aspx">latest ESG report</a>.

Receiving the highest score yet on the annual list of the world’s most sustainable businesses

Gen Named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2022 

Technical Director, Office of the CTO - Innovation Labs

When you use your credit card to buy something in a shop, pay for your delicious dinner at that new restaurant your friend recommended, or to withdraw some cash from an ATM machine, you do not normally think of credit card skimmers. Most businesses ensure the safety of their customers by controlling physical access to the terminals, to help avoid possible tampering. However, shopping online has become increasingly important in the last years and millions of transactions are happening this way every single day.Malicious actors realized &nbsp;this phenomenon and started to implement their credit card skimming techniques on the internet, and which we call “formjacking” attacks (as they hijack the virtual forms implemented on websites).

<h2>Welcome to the web jungle</h2>Websites use a complex set of technologies that make it difficult to totally protect from miscreants, especially if we compare it with just protecting the credit card terminal in a physical store. In a nutshell, attackers take advantages of small errors in these different components that websites include (external or internal to their service) and introduce code snippets that do not interfere with the functionality of the websites but allow them to implement their attacks.Let us take the image above as an example: (1) the attacker injects a script (i.e., sequence of commands) on the website under attack, (2) the user accesses the website, (3) inputs payment details to perform a purchase, and finally (4) the attacker receives this information without disrupting the browsing of the user. The victim does not realize the problem and happily thinks that the transaction worked as expected. Meanwhile, the malicious actor is already trying to sell the credit card data extracted on the dark web.<h2>Laying the cards on the table</h2>Multiple companies have suffered these attacks, and many of them do not even realize until a large set of their customers’ payment details have been compromised. Our Labs Team developed a method to monitor and detect these behaviors by analyzing how the distinct parts of the website and their corresponding code interact with the credit card data that is introduced on their forms. We observe and scrutinize the forms that interact with user data. In this way, we can expose new attacks that may extract this information maliciously.

For illustrative purposes, we are now going to explain a recent formjacking attack we found on a famous retail clothing chain with stores around the world. The attacker was able to directly introduce their code on the website.The new code has two main steps. The first one creates an overlay on the payment form, so the user does not interact with the real form, but with the one introduced by the malicious actor. In the image above, we can see how the malicious form overlays the original one. The second steps (shown on the image bellow), collects the credit card number, expiration date, and CVV, to later send it to an attacker-controlled point.In this case, the attacker encodes the URL using a basic encoding (i.e., base64) to possibly try to avoid being detected by static analyzers. As our system dynamically evaluates websites, we were still able to distinguish the unwanted practice. After the information of the user is automatically sent to them, the initial overlay created by the first step disappears, and shows the original website form again, leaving the user clueless about the attack that just happened.

Detecting these types of attacks is close to impossible for users, as the changes implemented by attackers are normally not visually perceptible and do not generally interrupt the usual shopping flow. To solve this problem, we implemented a new feature in <a href="https://us.norton.com/feature/safe-web">Norton Safe Web</a>, that will help us inform our customers about possible attacks in real time.

Formjacking attacks can steal your banking details

Beware - Credit card skimmers are waiting for you online

&nbsp;It’s that time of year again – back to school! In addition to the new backpacks and school supplies, many kids will be more “connected” than ever. Some may be learning, chatting, playing games or online searching during the school year. Now is an important time to have a conversation about digital safety with the kids.&nbsp;Not sure where to start? Norton, a part of Gen, and the National PTA have teamed up to give you a free, interactive resource that helps families set healthy tech limits together: <a href="https://thesmarttalk.org/">The Smart Talk</a>. This tool <a href="https://www.nortonlifelock.com/blogs/corporate-responsibility/the-smart-talk">was recently updated</a> with improvements to accessibility, inclusiveness, user experience, and content to empower families from all backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities with the resources they need to live their digital lives safely.&nbsp;The Smart Talk addresses a variety of topics including privacy and safety, communications, media choices, and health and wellness, and helps families create a comprehensive technology agreement. The tool is designed to be used by caregivers and children together, and many of the questions have yes or no answers to make it easy to establish ground rules that work for you. Some questions are open ended to spark thoughtful conversations and when the agreement is complete, you and your child can sign it, save it, print it, and refer to it at any time.&nbsp;For a look at how to have The Smart Talk, watch this short video of my daughter and I walking through it together.&nbsp;

&nbsp;I wish you a happy and successful back-to-school season and encourage you to have <a href="https://thesmarttalk.org/">The Smart Talk</a> with your family today.&nbsp;

Watch: How to have The Smart Talk with your family