Mobile cyber-bullying: A proposal for a pre-emptive approach to risk mitigation by employing digital forensic readiness

The new age of mobile communication brought on by the internet has meant that people now have mobile access to a wealth of information and services. Although the benefits of mobile information access are acknowledged through the empowering influence over its audience, a concern is noted with reference to largely uncensored forums offering mobile communication exchange to children. The proliferation of mobile technologies available, in conjunction with applications facilitating social networking, has steadily increased the attack surface minors are exposed to in an online environment. Most minors engaging in online activities do so through mobile technologies such as the cell phone. This device, as a consequence of its mobility, offers access to the internet that circumvents controls of supervision. This paper presents an approach that offers an alternative to existing solutions, available to the commercial market, that are driven by static configurations. The proposed solution seeks to avail a state of digital forensic readiness in order to deliver a proactive solution, this is accomplished through risk profiling of a user through usage which dictates the level of protection accordingly. It is suggested that this proposal will benefit children engaging in online interactions through the implementation of proactive strategies.