Here's how to protect schools from cyberattacks in 2024

Key points:

Identity theft and data breaches are on the rise and K-12 schools are one of the biggest targets. In fact, from 2016 to 2022, there have been more than 1,600 publicly reported cybersecurity-related incidents in K-12 public schools, affecting millions of current and former students. And now, in 2024, it is coming to a head. The exposure of private information can have long-term impacts not only for schools, but also for the students they serve.

That's why the nation is now taking a closer look at data vulnerabilities in K-12 schools. In late 2023, the Federal Communications Commission proposed a 200 million dollar program Collect data on school cybersecurity and firewalls to examine how we can better protect students, teachers, and schools. It is largely a response to the recent influx of ransomware gangs targeting K-12 schools. As cyber attacks against schools continue to increase in severity, schools must be tasked with implementing additional protections against online threats.

When students' personal information is compromised, it can lead to emotional and financial damage in the years to come. Schools manage a huge amount of personal data, from medical and psychiatric records to academic test scores and even social security numbers. For school districts, financial losses from cyberattacks can be on the order of millionsThese costs can include replacing computer hardware or improving cybersecurity protections, not to mention the burden and risk of identity theft. However the most school districts We do not have a single staff member dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity.

Although the new cybersecurity measures and modernization projects are taking place nationwide, more tangible steps must be taken to combat these growing risks to California schools. What more can be done to address these rampant global cybersecurity attacks? School level?

With a new year upon us, here are proactive steps can you take today to protect yourself or your school community against systemic cybersecurity threats in 2024:

Multi-factor authentication. The process of Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps prove that you are who you say you are by asking the user to enter a second factor to verify their identity when signing in on a device. Because usernames and passwords can be easy to discover, implementing MFA makes it more difficult for a threat to gain access to student, staff, or your school information.

Train staff. The attacks are usually social engineering. That means staff must know how to identify and respond to these threats. Protection against phone, email and SMS scams through regularly scheduled programs training for staff helps ensure they have the necessary language and tools, such as phishing campaigns. The required training will help your school community not only identify cyber threats, but also share practical guidance on what to do if any information at your school is compromised. And according expertsIt would be up to districts to engage in programs that protect against online attackers that specifically target schools.

Protect the identities of students, teachers and staff. Restricting administrative access to only those who need it can help keep devices and personal information protected, as users with administrative privileges can often bypass critical security settings and access sensitive information. This can be done by validating which staff members are required and authorized to perform those tasks as part of their duties. End-to-end encryption (e2ee) can also help ensure that no one other than the sender and recipient can read sensitive communications.

Practice continuous improvement. Regularly patching and updating systems is one of the most important cybersecurity procedures to protect against known vulnerabilities and provide new features. Finally, enact policies to regularly back up your data or material to different locations or media (e.g., separate servers). Archiving or deleting sensitive information, in accordance with your records retention policies, can help keep information secure.

The scale and number of attacks have increased in recent years as more schools have relied on technology for teaching and operations. In an increasingly digital age, cyberattacks will only become more dangerous for students and their school communities. Looking ahead to 2024, it has never been more important for school leaders to prioritize cyber insurance, education and safety.