Digital Education: The cyberrisks of the online classroom

Digital Education: The cyberrisks of the online classroom

This past spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, online learning became the new norm as universities and classrooms around the world were forced to close their doors. By April 29, 2020, more than 1.2 billion children across 186 countries were impacted by school closures.


Shortly after schools began to transition to emergency remote learning, it became clear that many were not ready for the kind of full-time, digital education now needed. Not all students had the technology that was required, from laptops to a stable Internet connection, and parents and instructors in countries like the United States worried students would inevitably fall behind academically. What is more, many educational institutions did not have proper cybersecurity measures in place, putting online classrooms at increased risks of cyberattacks.


In fact, in June, Microsoft Security Intelligence reported that the education industry accounted for 61 percent of the 7.7 million malware encounters experienced by enterprises in the previous 30 days – more than any other sector.


Apart from malware, educational institutions were also at increased risk of data breaches and violations of student privacy. It was this spring that “Zoombombing” became part of the general lexicon after pranksters and ill-intentioned individuals began taking advantage of Zoom’s security weaknesses to break into private meetings. Among the victims were schools, with several reported incidents of online classrooms being interrupted by users making lewd comments or streaming pornography.


As fall approaches, digital learning will continue to be a necessity. In fact, digital education cyberrisks online classroom