Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Preparing for ransomware attacks begins with education

Key points:

  • Ransomware attacks can be devastating to a school or district, with costly ransoms and leaked sensitive information
  • The most effective security is layered; humans are only part of the equation

The biggest threat to K-12 schools’ cybersecurity is, ironically, education. It’s an expensive deficit. But there are funds and tools to help.

Ransomware – where hackers encrypt and lock victims’ data and try to sell the decryption key back to the victim for a ransom – delays education and hurts already-stretched budgets: A GAO report says a ransomware attack can cause K-12 students learning loss up to three weeks and cost from $50,000 to $1 million in expenses.…Read More

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IBM grants $5 million for cybersecurity, enhanced skilling on AI

Key points:

  • With cyberattacks on the rise across schools, IBM Education Security Grants have already benefited more than 350,000 students globally
  • Now in its third year, grants are expanding to offer students and teachers access to cyber and AI skills through IBM SkillsBuild

In response to the growing threat of ransomware attacks against schools around the world, IBM will provide in-kind grants valued at $5 million to help address cybersecurity resiliency in schools.

Since its creation in 2021, the IBM Education Security Grants program has expanded globally, and this year will also include enhanced offerings from IBM SkillsBuild on topics including AI and cybersecurity. …Read More

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Safeguarding K-12 school networks with proactive cybersecurity approaches

Key points:

  • School districts need bigger cybersecurity budgets and support mechanisms
  • Cybersecurity threats are not going away, and knowledge is a large factor in protecting networks
  • See related article: 4 steps to avoid a ransomware attack

Now more than ever, safeguarding students and staff from targeted cyberattacks is critical to the health of our U.S. education system. Local K-12 schools are a top target for cybercrime. Estimates from the nonprofit organization K12 Security Information Exchange reveal more than 1,300 publicly disclosed cyberattacks against U.S. schools since 2016.

The size and scope of these threats amplified during COVID-era hybrid learning, when schools were forced to rapidly adopt cloud-based collaboration technologies at scale. But even though students have returned to the classroom post-pandemic, just like every other industry, the K-12 threat landscape isn’t slowing down. …Read More

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Breezeline Promotes Online Safety Awareness

QUINCY, Mass. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Breezeline, the nation’s eighth-largest cable operator, has partnered with CyberSecurity NonProfit (CSNP) to create a series of blogs, videos and social posts to inform and educate the public on ways to protect against cybercrime and to promote online safety.

Recent educational materials created by CSNP staff and experts from the cyber security profession include ways to keep children safe in public online spaces, the benefits and concerns with authentication methods like two-factor and facial recognition, the benefits and risks of location services, identifying cryptocurrency scams, password tips, and Internet of Things (IoT) safety.

“Easy access to online content provides tremendous benefits to society for learning, work, and keeping connected to the world around us,” said Andrew Walton, a spokesperson for Breezeline. “Awareness of online best practices will help reduce risk and ensure that content can be enjoyed safely.”  …Read More

How to make secure K-12 digital transformation a reality

Key points:

  • More students and educators are connecting personal devices to school networks
  • This makes network security–an already underfunded area–even more critical

The pandemic was a massive shift for school districts across the country, and even as we move out of it, we’re still feeling the impact. On the technical side, it prompted quick transformation to enable virtual schooling–and these changes were made as districts were already challenged by legacy technology, reduced budgets and understaffing. Existing problems were exacerbated.

In parallel, we’ve seen a rise in ransomware and other cyberattacks in the education sector. What’s needed is a digital transformation strategy that also prioritizes security.…Read More

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Student mental health tops list of school safety concerns

Educators participating in a recent survey overwhelmingly believe that the Covid pandemic has increased student mental health needs–and in many instances, mental health issues are the biggest obstacle to school safety.

These latest statistics are found in the 2023 School Safety Survey from Raptor Technologies and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). Through the survey, Raptor gathered insight into a wide range of school safety and student wellness challenges school safety decision-makers face today. 

The survey surfaced critical data and insight on obstacles related to school safety and security processes, such as physical security, safety drills and procedures, and emergency response planning. In addition to 60 percent of respondents citing “mental health issues” as the greatest school safety obstacle they are encountering, 78 percent of respondents indicated the mental health needs of their student population have increased since returning post-Covid.…Read More

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Nureva achieves ISO/IEC 27001 certification for its Information Security Management System

Calgary, Alberta — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces that its Information Security Management System (ISMS) has received ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, the world’s best-known standard for information security management. This distinguished certification demonstrates Nureva’s commitment to maintaining the highest standard of information security and data protection to support its global customer base. As part of the certification process, Nureva’s ISMS was thoroughly evaluated and assessed by a third-party auditor to ensure it meets the rigorous requirements of the standard. The auditor concluded that Nureva has put in place and is following appropriate and effective controls to secure sensitive information under its management.

Today, risks to data and information are top of mind for many organizations. ISO 27001 certification is a powerful way to build trust in Nureva’s information security management systems and protect valuable data and information assets. It establishes a path to preserving the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the business information of the company’s customers and other stakeholders. It also gives stakeholders confidence knowing that Nureva’s ISMS incorporates security controls over people, processes and technology that are embedded in its business practices, goals and objectives. Nureva is committed to managing information securely and safely to the highest of standards, and achieving ISO/IEC 27001 certification sets the company apart as an audio conferencing leader focused on information security management for the benefit of its customers.

“With new threats appearing daily, effective management of privacy and security risks continues to be a top priority for our customers and our industry,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “This certification gives all Nureva stakeholders the peace of mind that comes from working with an organization that is fully committed to information security management.”…Read More

4 steps to avoid a ransomware attack

Educational institutions have an urgent reason to put data security and backup at the top of their agenda: the rising threat of ransomware. Security firm BlackFog reports that the education sector is now the top target for ransomware attacks, surpassing government and healthcare.

In one recent case, the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has more than 540,000 students and 70,000 employees, suffered a ransomware attack that blocked email, computer systems, and applications. Following the attack, Vice Society, a Russian-speaking group that claimed responsibility for the breach, released a 500GB cache of data that appeared to contain personal information, including passport details, Social Security numbers, and tax forms, according to reports.

A successful cyberattack on a school can have far-reaching and devastating consequences. Not only does it come with a high financial cost, but it also disrupts the core function of education by making resources inaccessible, potentially leading to a loss of sensitive information such as HR and MIS data. Furthermore, it diverts valuable time and resources away from the primary goal of educating students.…Read More

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