This blog is the last in a series about improving data security in schools.
When learning moved from the classroom to the dining room, schools scrambled to ensure students had the tools they needed. A study conducted by FutureSource Consulting found that the number of computing devices shipped to educational institutions in 2020 is expected to be 27% higher than the year before, with 18 million devices shipped, compared with 14 million in 2018 and 2019. With this comes a need to be extra vigilant about digital security threats to schools.
Remote classrooms and hybrid schooling have highlighted the need for improving internet connections in rural areas and providing internet connections to poor children. And while schools may have the latest computers, their IT infrastructure may be failing and old. This can lead to security threats to schools, students and staff.
Types of Risks to School Computers
For any group, data is its most important asset. Schools are no different. In fact, the value of data in K-12 schools may be higher because young people’s data is not monitored as closely as it is for adults.
Education is also one of the hardest-hit industries for malware attacks, according to EdTech, with “61% of nearly 7.7 million enterprise malware encounters reported” in one month coming from schools.
The threat of ransomware attacks looms large in schools, as well. A school district in Connecticut was forced to postpone its first day of school due to a ransomware attack that crippled the district’s entire system. It wasn’t improving security schools remote learning increases security threats
