School Cyber Terrorism

Is Your Educational Institution Protected from Cyber Terrorism?

When we think about major hacks and cyber terrorism, usually places like banks and governments jump out. For example, in one recent incident, a foreign nation possibly spied on the US, and the FBI doesn’t know what information may or may not have been accessed. Of course, any time money is involved, a hack becomes a big deal, which is why we think about banks. But one of the most affected sectors seems to get the least attention.
Is “one recent exploit” THE RIGHT/ best way to say whatever…
Wasn’t the info hacked, rather than “LEAKED”?
Statistically, what four sectors are most frequently breached?
• Retail
• Financial (insurance, investments, real estate, etc.)
• Healthcare
• Education
Did you notice government and banks are not on the list, but educational institutions are? So what’s the big deal when schools get hacked? Isn’t it just kids stealing test scores or changing grades? Maybe this is true in the movies.
In real life, educational facilities are the number 5 location for lost data, which leads to fraud and identity theft. School cyber terrorism is fast becoming an issue.
Schools get hacked for the same reason other industries are targeted. Schools keep personally identifiable information (PII) on students, and private schools, like universities, may also have financial information. Statistics show that while only 3 out of 10 educational facility hacks are after school records, 8 out of 10 result in the theft of PII.
Why Are Schools an Easy Target?
Most hackers are opportunists, and actually, schools remain fairly easy to hack. Why? Most schools are online now because it has become a major part of teaching. Records are also readily accessible online. However, schools often do not have the experienced IT department of major banks or the government. Malware, easily downloaded accidentally by students or teachers, remains one of the main ways in for hackers.
How Can Your Educational Facility Protect Itself?
It is time to develop a strategy for warding off cyber-attacks. At some point, it may become necessary to outsource network protection. Some of the important keys are:
• Monitoring tools designed to help identify problems
• Minimizing the number of logins with full access to records
• Regular updates and patches
• Education for teachers and students to reduce malware, spyware, and trojan downloads
• Anti-malware programs for auto-detection and protection
• Strong passwords
• A network firewall