Digital transformation has revolutionized education. Beyond online learning options, students use tablets and computers in place of books, pencils and paper. Threat actors know this, which is why education is the industry with the most recorded malware attacks.
Yet when schools offer security training, more often than not, administrators are the ones receiving the instruction. It’s crucial to prioritize cyber security teacher training. According to a Morning Consult study, 59% of educators don’t know if they’ve had security training, or they haven’t had any recently, despite more than three-quarters of teachers relying on online learning.
In addition, the study found many teachers are unfamiliar with common cyber security threats. For example, even as classrooms were virtual for much of 2020, half of educators were unfamiliar with videobombing. Even fewer were familiar with attacks like phishing and ransomware.
The lack of cybersecurity teacher training can put students’ personal information at risk. Cyber criminals favor targeting children’s personally identifiable information (PII) because that data isn’t monitored as closely as adult PII. In fact, childrens’ data may not be identified as compromised until they apply for jobs and driver’s licenses – Continue here: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/articles/s/cyber-security-training-for-teachers/
Phishing is one of the many security threats to schools
Security threats to schools are just as prominent as they are in the business world.
With 2020 described as a “record-breaking” year for cyber attacks against K-12 public schools in the U.S., the verdict for 2021 should be in soon. It may not be too different, as students, teachers and staff access learning materials and teaching resources online through a variety of devices like tablets or laptop computers. The many attack surfaces increase the number of security risks to schools, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, malware and ransomware. However, one of the most common methods threat actors use is phishing.
Phishing uses social engineering and fraudulent messages to unwittingly recruit users to help them deploy malicious software. Given the high volume of attacks lobbed at both K-12 and higher education institutions, any defense strategy must include steps to help mitigate security threats. Cloud computing in education allows students the ability to access their homework wherever there’s an internet connection and faculty to access that homework or upload coursework, which broadens the threat landscape. Continue here: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/articles/s/phishing-is-one-of-many-growing-security-threats-to-schools/
Can you name a school that doesn’t lock its doors at the end of the day?
Didn’t think so. But many learning institutions who lock their doors are failing to also lock up their private communications systems, putting their teachers and students at serious risk.
Without proper precautions, it’s easy for hackers to steal your school’s sensitive information such as financial audit reports, employee email passwords, student medical records, and more.
That’s why a growing number of schools are making the move to cloud-based communication platforms. The cloud can help provide the end-to-end protection required for your staff’s collaboration needs. From phone calls, to videoconferencing, to instant messaging, group chat, and more, isn’t it time to see what the cloud can do for you?
Here are the 5 biggest security features Verizon’s Virtual Communications Express (VCE) cloud-based phone system leverages to help keep schools safer:
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1. Hard-to-hack systems Verizon VCE delivers secure software design coding, configuration and monitoring that help safeguard your communications from cyberattacks. Verizon’s hardened operation system and network security govern ports and protocols. You can also have application security for your voice portal, including SIP access control lists, password policies and enforcement, device lockout, call processing policies and controls. |
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2. Availability through redundancy The number of unpredictable situations that could impact your operations can be endless. On-site server rooms can suffer an electrical circuit overload. Denial-of-service attacks can tie up your network. Construction diggers might accidentally cut communication lines connecting your school to the outside world… you get the idea. That’s why Verizon’s VCE employs redundant server clusters, routers and data network paths to help avoid a single point of failure, including geographic diversity. |
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3. Independent risk assurance The best and most trusted service providers comply with independent, third-party assessments. Verizon VCE is dedicated to complying with popular industry certifications and benchmarks including: TL 9000, ISO 9000, ISO 27001, FedRAMP and NIST SP800-53. |
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4. Easy manageability Verizon VCE could help you reduce your spend on security operations by installing needed security features and keeping them current. Allowing Verizon to manage your security means you can focus on teaching. |
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5. Confidential communications Verizon VCE will help keep your information confidential through strong cryptographic algorithms, certificates and protocols - whether that data is stored or passing over a network. Some of these include: OpenSSL, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), X.509 certificates and RFCcompliant network communication protocols, such as TLS and OCSP. |