CYBER RESILIENCE FOR

BUSINESS CONTINUITY

EDUCATION

Education Cybersecurity: Protecting Institutions, Students, Faculty, and Staff

As technology becomes more ingrained in our educational system, the importance of cybersecurity in schools cannot be overstated. With students and staff relying on digital platforms for learning and communication, cyber threats are lurking around every corner. Recent headlines have highlighted alarming breaches that put sensitive information at risk, leaving educators scrambling to protect their institutions from malicious attacks. Just as we prioritize physical safety within school walls, it’s essential to focus on safeguarding our digital environments. Let’s delve into the pressing need for robust cybersecurity solutions for education and explore effective strategies that can shield our students and staff from harm. 

Why the Education Sector is a Vulnerable Target for Cyberattacks

In recent years, schools have become one of the most attacked institutions, and the reasons for this stretch are far and wide. To begin with, schools and other educational institutions maintain and store a range of sensitive information, such as the personal files of students and staff members; and for higher institutions, invaluable research and test data. For hackers, all of this information could be a potential target in a data breach. 

It is well documented that a large number of schools have very small information technology operating budgets. This stands in direct correlation to the schools having very low (if any) measures in place for cyber security, which makes them an easy target for hackers in comparison to other more well-funded institutions.  

On top of that, the increasing use of technology in the classroom for educational purposes has made this a more enticing target. With the number of devices that are now connected to a school network, even one unprotected device could be an open doorway to a cybercriminal.  

Unfortunately, staff and students are often not aware of the basic practices for safe and secure use of the internet. This is also the area in which a large number of breaches are created. When you pull all these factors together, there is a phenomenon in which schools are left at an outstandingly high risk of cyber challenges and are simultaneously facing a growing number of them. 

Essential Education Cybersecurity Strategies: 

Implementing strong password policies 

Developing dependable password guidelines should be a priority when it comes to protecting school networks. Cybercriminals often focus on systems that utilize weak password standards. Schools should offer guidelines that focus on passwords that utilize a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Such a strategy will complicate the efforts of unauthorized hackers. 

Educators and students should be required to implement a continuous cycle of mandatory password changes. Security protocols are often forgotten or ignored over time, and continuous enforcement helps to solve that problem. The addition of multifactor authentication creates additional security. Even when compromised, passwords are less of a threat when additional forms of verification are required to gain access to a system. 

Every school should value training sessions guiding employees and students on systems of password management. Online threats are greatly reduced when protective guidelines are known, and cyber security is valued and understood. 

Regular software updates and patches 

Regularly scheduled software updates and patch management are integral to preserving a safe and secure learning environment. The nature of cyber threats is constantly evolving, and because of this, keeping your systems updated is the most important thing. Hackers are able to do highly damaging work in systems with outdated software. Schools need to do regular checks to see what has been added, and what is available to install on all systems; operating systems, software applications, and security systems.  

The set up of an automatic update system will assist greatly in ensuring these crucial patches are made in a timely manner. This also reduces the risk of the system being vulnerable to threats and leaves the teachers and students free to do the work they intend to do. Educators and all staff members for that matter need to receive some training on the importance of this. If they understand the updates and patches are in place to produce a safe and secure learning environment, this will aid in forming the culture of cyber security for that institution. 

User experience is also enhanced with updates, and that is something everyone should enjoy. Communication should flow on these to give everyone an understanding of what is new, and what is improved. This will also help to make the whole education sector a safer place to work. 

Installing firewalls and antivirus programs 

Firewalls are operational barriers which separate trusted internal networks from untrusted external networks. Firewalls monitor data traffic in and out of the school system and block a majority of uninvited and malicious data traffic. Through careful and precise automation, a school can dramatically lower its risk of uninvited external data traffic. 

Antivirus systems scan data files to reveal malware, viruses, and other nefarious files which could carry out an uninvited attack. Regular upgrades are introduced to the antivirus systems so that the system can identify and neutralize unforeseen cyber threats. The installation of firewalls and antivirus systems offers protection to valuable and sensitive data and offers uninterrupted data service and network connection. Schools should and must complete the installation of firewalls and antivirus solutions which are critical elements of a complete cyber protection strategy to defend educational institutions from the ever-growing threats to cyber systems. 

Educating staff and students on safe online practices 

Start with simple workshops on the basics of online safety like phishing emails and privacy settings on social media. Interactive sessions where participants are engaged tend to be better than a simple lecture. Real examples of phishing emails and breaches or vulnerabilities are pertinent to the school’s community and are therefore useful. It makes the sessions instructive and keeps people’s attention.  

Encouraging a culture of dialogue and providing reporting channels without fear of repercussion helps foster online safety. When everyone is part of the solution, the whole environment becomes safer. Finally, providing a balance of educational resources such as infographics and quick reference guides is helpful. Visuals are a great tool to reinforce and remind people about key concepts. 

Best Practices for Education Cybersecurity and Data Protection: 

Data Encryption 

With data encryption, unauthorized parties cannot view, steal, or use any data. Even if student records and personally identifiable information fall into the wrong hands, it cannot be viewed. Schools need encryption not only for legal compliance (FERPA) safeguards, but to gain the trust of parents and students.  

Data encryption is an absolute requirement for any new system a school acquires. Encryption is not only required for data at rest, but for data in transit and for all new systems; protection has to be a pre-required requirement. Data evolves and protective measures will need to be changed. Effective encryption will reduce the school’s risk of data breaches. Schools can proactively change the data protection measures for data of most importance to the school. 

Backup and Disaster Recovery Plans 

Having a good backup and disaster recovery system is considered highly essential. Without a good backup system, schools can lose data because of any cyber-attack, equipment failure, or natural disaster. Having a regular backup schedule allows schools to keep and protect vital information. Schools should consider a combination of cloud-based services and offline storage, as having both types of services creates a better backup system. Schools have to be able to quickly retrieve backed up data and test and refine the recovery process to achieve this.  

Also, training staff on data recovery is also key so that everyone knows their responsibilities during an emergency. The data retention plan allows the school to be more prepared in the event of a data loss or data breach. 

Balancing Security with Accessibility: 

Institutions have to find a balance of how they protect sensitive information with how sensitive information is provided to students and staff, and how to access information. One way to mitigate issues with sensitive data is to implement data access controls, which delineate access to information based on user classification. For example, teachers might need access to information that records are viewable to others on office administrative staff, so that would help to streamline the user’s experience.  

Furthermore, the safety of the systems can be made better with authentication systems that are also secure without barriers to access that are significant. These systems can use multi-factorial systems that are secure without making the sign on process overly complex. 

Funding and Experience: Challenges faced by schools in implementing cybersecurity measures 

Due to funding issues, many schools also focus their budgets on other necessities because they view educational emergency spending as more important than prioritizing security funding.  

The issues schools are having do not stop here. They often do not possess the needed IT expertise to handle the complexities of cybersecurity. In their case, insufficient resources constrain training programs, too. Institutions do not have the money or time to focus on emerging threats to computer systems.  

School funding challenges are often cyclical. Because of grant funding issues and lack of funding for cybersecurity solutions, schools have continued lack of educational support. Finally, many schools have a multi-year spiral of funding and educational support issues.