Education Cybersecurity – Threats in Schools

Education Cybersecurity on your mind?

Remote learning, hybrid classes, cloud computing: all things that are opening a world of possibilities in the way schools educate and students learn. But, along with these emerging educational avenues comes emerging threats to technology systems and student data. Did you know academic records can fetch hundreds of dollars each on the black market?

1. Education ranks as the sixth-most targeted industry
   In their 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon found that educational establishments experienced the sixth-most amount of cybersecurity incidents out of 20 sectors, with 819 incidents.

2. Schools are the number 2 target for ransomware attacks.
   In a ransomware attack, if the ransom is not paid, schools have to face the prospect of having their data leaked, which given the nature of information about children, needs to be avoided at all costs.

3. 87% of educational establishments have experienced at least one cyber attack.
   The vast majority of education organizations have been the victim of a cyberattack. This mostly concurs with the rapid rise of attacks we’ve seen over the last year and should serve as a warning to school administrators.

With cyber-attacks becoming more sophisticated and increasingly aggressive, Education Cybersecurity should be a priority for every school. We hear about many methods used by cybercriminals, from ransomware to malware, in the daily news. But, it’s no shock that most schools are not prepared to respond to a cyber incident.

Educational institutions are a prime target for hackers because their attack surface is large. The industry’s size and potential for financial gain from data theft make education a prime target. Everyone from students to employees, faculty members, and even third-party providers is a prospective target.

How can you reduce the Education Cybersecurity threat?

Schools must put in place multi-level strategies to mitigate cyber threats. Security patches must be maintained, and protocols to defend against attacks should be implemented.

• Monitoring must be in place to quickly visualize and understand malicious or anomalous activity and respond to threats. One of the best ways to safeguard data, students, employees, and processes is with Managed Detection & Response. 
• Security Awareness Training for all students and staff must actively be encouraged. Especially with regards to ransomware and phishing. Educating students about cyber risks and knowing how to recognize threats and safeguard devices will instill a culture of awareness.
• Tackling education cybersecurity is most definitely a collaborative effort between school boards, administrators, educators, and students. Everyone must educate themselves on the specific threats targeting schools. Reducing the attack surface within in-person and remote learning environments must be prioritized.
• Make sure your sensitive data and systems are protected. Up-to-date network security is paramount to preventing a costly and time-consuming data breach. We can help you keep your data safe by evaluating and recommending changes based on industry best practices and/or upgrading your firewall system if needed. Our engineers and cybersecurity experts examine the security you currently have in place and the state of those systems and any critical weak points are identified and fixed using the best security solutions in the industry.

Security-first, Managed IT Services from Auxiom can help you make sure your systems are up-to-date and that you are prepared to handle cyber incidents. Whether you are providing online classes or a hybrid of online and in-class learning. Let our highly experienced technology professionals assess what you need and provide tailored solutions to get you up and running without any hitches for you or your students.

Auxiom works with more than a dozen schools across Metro-Detroit, including private religious institutions and public districts. We provide everything from fully Managed Services for Education to cybersecurity gap assessments, to assisting with network design, to designing world-class e-sports training facilities, our dedicated team helps school leaders fulfill their school’s unique mission. Auxiom can help you identify your technology needs, create a plan for meeting them, and seamlessly execute the plan’s deliverables.

For more information on Education Cybersecurity, contact Auxiom now and make sure your school, your students, your staff, and your data is safe and secure.