The internet is changing everything that’s part of our lives. We can now communicate, access data files, and get all the information we need via a network in the most convenient method—whenever we want, from anywhere. Education is no exception to this.
From online platforms to vast learning resources, the internet has elevated education to new heights, delivering top-quality experiences for both educators and students.
But cybercriminals targeting education evolve as well, now targeting institutions like K-12 schools and expanding their horizons further. So, in a world where it’s easy to slip on a threat-peel, cybersecurity is more vital than ever.
Read this article to learn why cyberattacks should be taken seriously, the most common cybersecurity challenges in education, and three tips to make yourself immune to cyber threats.
Why Cyberattacks Are No Joke
Although cyberattacks came along with the invention of internet, they have only recently become much more intricate, harsh, and frequent. Cybercriminals exploit everything and everyone that’s vulnerable. Whether it’s educational institutions, educators, or external partners and students, all can be on cybercriminals’ radar for an attack.
Cybersecurity attacks usually compromise sensitive data, disrupt learning processes, and create security risks. This leaves students, educators, and pretty much the entire ecosystem of the education environment vulnerable to further cyber threats. Threats can range from catching malware to identity theft. None of them are fun but can be prevented if everyone involved is aware of how to spot them.
The Most Common Cybersecurity Challenges
The education industry is one of the sectors most frequently targeted by cybercriminals. This is usually because it handles a lot of data about personnel, students, and their financial loans. Since hackers want to extract this information for malicious acts, they perform specific cyberattacks to increase their chances of getting what they want.
Phishing attacks
Email is the go-to way to communicate in the education industry, especially between educators and students. Hackers are smart, and they are fully aware of it. This is why phishing attempts are among the most well-crafted and commonly used cyberattacks within healthcare, financial, manufacturing, and educational institutions. In the United States alone, over 300,000 successful phishing attacks were recorded in these sectors by 2023.
Phishing attacks essentially revolve around impersonating legitimate institutions or businesses to send fake messages, often claiming that the recipient must take some type of action urgently.
These messages typically consist of malicious links that install malware or redirect victims to fake websites where they’re told to enter their personal information.
So, in education systems, a hacker usually pretends to be either an educator or a student, requiring their recipients to click on what appears to be learning material-related links or attached documents. Yet, once clicked, these links infect devices with malware or prompt users to provide login credentials or other personal data.
Ransomware attacks
Ransomware is a type of malware that, once downloaded to your computer, locks you out of your files until you pay a certain amount of money to regain access. Paying it is the quickest solution, but it’s often an expensive one. In fact, recovery costs of ransomware attacks have doubled since 2023. So, it becomes clear that hackers aren’t really that modest when setting their ransom demands.
People involved in education systems are usually very valuable victims, as they allow hackers to infect a wide range of networks and devices. Hackers often use stolen credentials from educators or students, typically obtained through successful phishing attacks. They then access school systems to launch ransomware, locking files or even entire learning platforms or internal systems.
What Can You Do About It?
While intimidating, cyberattacks can be avoided—you just need to prepare your network and devices in advance, before such incidents become a reality. That’s why you should first:
Create strong passwords
The tale about having strong passwords for your accounts is as old as time, but it speaks facts. And when you’re involved in the education environment, being extra cautious about password security is for the better.
Passwords are a fundamental part of your online security. Once breached, they pose huge risks to all your other accounts, as hackers often try to use your credentials on other famous websites or social media, hoping you used the same passwords elsewhere. Consider using password managers to control your credentials better. This will prevent hackers from stealing your identity and compromising your security.
Password managers are tools that generate extremely strong and unique passwords for all your accounts, while storing and auto-filling them whenever you want to log in. They also keep track whether your passwords have been hacked or not. This way, you can keep an eye on your account security and be assured that even if one account gets hacked, the rest of your credentials are safe and sound.
Use anti-ransomware software
As we said, ransomware attacks aren’t cheap to forgive and forget, which is why using a software that detects malware—especially ransomware—is the move you should opt for.
Anti-ransomware software is built to block you from accessing any suspicious links, so even if you get very close to becoming a ransomware victim, such software simply doesn’t let it happen. Some anti-ransomware tools can also protect you from phishing attacks, data breaches, or even detect and erase malware that may have been ever-present on your devices for a while.
Minize your online footprint
To put it simply, if hackers can’t see you, they won’t be able to target you. This is why it’s a great practice to keep your online presence at low, especially when it might affect your students or colleagues.
Sharing personal details with friends is one thing, but making them public online puts your online security at risk. Hackers can use this information to guess passwords, steal your identity, or create phishing emails impersonating you. So, keep your profiles either private or delete them altogether to keep hackers empty-handed when looking for information about you.
And if you’ve been wondering how to remove personal information from Google for free as an extra step for enhanced online security, there are two things to note. First, congratulations on being aware of your online exposure and wanting to minimize it. Second, there are tools like data removal services that can help you with that. These services contact data brokers and companies that hold information about you and request to remove it for you. It’s a simple, yet very efficient way of protecting your security.
Cybersecurity Starts With You
The best way to protect yourself, students, and your institution is by taking care of your security first. Be cautious about the emails you open, as ransomware attacks can have far-reaching effects. Always try to maintain a low digital footprint and take measures to protect your data from breaches.
If you do fall victim to a cyberattack, inform your institution and students immediately to prevent the threat from escalating. Remember, if you’re targeted, others may also be at risk.
Post by Kristine Vedder
