Education sector needs to make cybersecurity a priority

Students during the pandemic are struggling with digital access, engagement, and a severe sense of isolation. Cybersecurity should be the least of their concerns, and yet, it’s concerning to find that nearly half of educational institutions show a lack of preparedness. It is essential that schools – and all organizations – stop viewing cybersecurity as an afterthought; protecting our students and their data online should be a top priority for educators.

Do you have the right security product for your Schools, Universities and Institutions ?

Malwarebytes™, a leading provider of advanced endpoint protection and remediation solutions, According to the results of their latest report:

7 percent of IT decision-makers said that no one (not students, staff, or faculty) was required to enroll in cybersecurity training before the new school year began
7 percent of IT decision-makers said their schools developed “no additional requirements” for the students, faculty, or staff who connected to the school’s network (no cybersecurity training AND no antivirus tool installations).
Nearly three quarters (70.7 percent) of schools deployed new software needed for distance learning, such as Zoom, Remind, and Google Classroom
In preparing for the new school year, 30.7 percent of schools admitted to not being able to provide for all teachers, administrators, and staff members to work remotely, while 45.3 percent of schools could not provide all the devices needed for every student to attain an equal quality of education
With distance learning in full swing, concerns remain with device shortages:
28 percent of IT respondents said their schools are missing laptops, computers, or tablets for teachers
40 percent are missing those tools for parents and students
38.7 percent worry that teachers or students are too quickly using up the data on school-provided WiFi hotspots

Cyber Attackers target gaming as the latest ‘always on’ industry impacted by ransomware. Some 63% of children surveyed said they spent more than an hour each day on the Internet; 41% of school children surveyed chose Google as a source of information, while 46% said they use online sources to access news.

The coronavirus pandemic has been a forcing function for not only remote work but remote learning. Hackers are eyeing students returning to virtual classes as easy targets. These attacks can include malicious phishing emails, ‘Zoombombs,’ and even ransomware. We strongly urge students, parents, and institutions to be extra careful these next few months, as we believe the attack numbers and methods will only get worse.

Here are some key points to help schools, students, and parents to avoid cyber attacks

Tips for schools

Get anti-virus and Firewall. Make sure your student laptops and other devices are protected by antivirus software that prevents them from accidentally downloading malware. Turn on automatic updates for that anti-virus software. (you can try best software like Kaspersky, Fortinet, Trendmicro and any suitable other vendors)
Establish a strong online perimeter. Schools should establish strong boundary firewalls and internet gateways to protect networks from cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and malicious content.
Check third-party providers thoroughly. Schools should ensure that they thoroughly vet all third-party platform providers.
Monitor the system, constantly. Schools must monitor all of their systems continuously and analyze them for unusual activity that could indicate an attack.
Invest in online cybersecurity education. Ensure that members of staff understand the risks. Conduct regular sessions for students so they are aware of the latest cybersecurity threats. Fortuler supporting those cybersecurity sessions, you may contact our team.

Tips for students

Cover your webcam. Turn off or block cameras and microphones when class is not in session. Also, be sure that no personal information is in the camera view.
Only click on links from trusted sources. When in the remote school collaboration platform, only click on links that are shared by the host or co-hosts, and only when directed to do so.
Log in directly. Always be sure to log in directly to your schools’ remote school portals. Do not rely on email links and be aware of lookalike domains on public tools.
Use strong passwords. Hackers often attempt to crack passwords, especially short and simple ones. Adding complexity to your password helps thwart those attempts.
Never share confidential information. Students should not be asked to share confidential information via online tools. They should keep all personal information off cloud storage platforms.

Tips for parents

Talk to your kids about phishing. Teach your children to never click on links in email messages before they first check with you.
Call out cyberbullying. Explain to your children that hurtful comments or pranks delivered online are not OK. Tell them that they should immediately come to you if they experience or see someone else experience cyberbullying.
Explain that devices should never go unattended. Your kids will need to understand that leaving a device for unwanted hands can be detrimental. Hackers can log into their devices and assume your child’s identity online.
Set parental controls. Set the privacy and security settings on websites to your comfort level for information sharing.
Increase awareness. Cybersecurity literacy is an important skill set, even for the youngest schoolchildren. Invest the time, money, and resources to make sure your child is aware of cybersecurity threats and precautions.

Recommending to Kaspersky, Fortinet, Trendmicro leading major cybersecurity application protect and defend. Fortuler business Solutions expertise will be added advantage for your services and questions. for further if any clarification please free to contact us.