The Importance of Familiarizing Your Students and Staff on Cyber Security

Cybersecurity is only as good as those it is protecting. Computers do exactly as they are told, so the biggest vulnerability can be the person using it. This can lead to serious security issues in your organization.

In particular, schools are very vulnerable to malicious attacks, as they typically store lots of data and are lacking in cybersecurity. The two largest contributors of attacks in schools are students and staff accidentally sharing information or clicking on something that could potentially put the school district at risk. Some of the potentially malicious links can come from phishing emails or links on suspicious websites. The information that can be compromised includes anything from student and staff personal information to school records.

Schools are considered to be soft targets, “they store a lot of personal identifiable data, but their security often falls short.” Some data stored on school websites are reported to be worth thousands of dollars. Wealthier school districts also appear to be more likely to be targeted by a hacker because they typically have more data stored digitally. One indicator that a potential hack is when there is a quick increase on viewer traffic of the school website.

The FBI reported in September of 2018 that schools were becoming more likely to be the victim of a cybersecurity attack. With Verizon ranking the education sector sixth for number of security incidents reported. Ransomware demanding money from those that have fallen victim is also becoming the more popular route for those hacking.

With this in mind, school districts have begun to implement programs to help students and staff learn the basics of cybersecurity and how to learn new security technologies.  Not only can this help reduce number of cyberattacks in schools, but it will also prepare students for a potential career in cyber security, with which there is a major shortage of professionals. If your school district does not have any type of cybersecurity awareness program or curriculum, it may be a good idea to suggest one.

Story via Education Dive