According to research by Clever, a K-12 digital learning platform, teachers and district leaders perceive the threat of cyberattacks in very different ways. And that perception gap can be a big problem.
Survey of over 800 people finds 66% of school district leaders believe schools near them are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ likely to be affected by a cybersecurity incident next year compared to 42% of teachers. A district leader and her 3,000 teachers conducted his October.
In recent years, the number of cyberattacks on schools from kindergarten to high school has increased. Quote from K12 Security Information Exchangeis a non-profit focused on helping schools prevent cyberattacks, and has found over 1,330 publicly disclosed attacks since 2016.
In fact, according to Clever’s research, 1 in 4 district leaders say their district has experienced some type of cyberattack in the past year. Of those who said they had experienced a cyberattack of some kind, 67% said the incident was a phishing attack.
Doug Levin, national director of the K12 Security Information Exchange, said it’s no surprise that teachers don’t have advanced cybersecurity knowledge on topics such as how schools can protect themselves and where threats come from. says.
“These questions are not what the typical teacher expects to be told,” says Levin. “It’s not their job.”
But as the use of technology in schools increases, protecting data becomes even more important. According to cybersecurity experts, one way schools can prevent cyberattacks is by providing more training and education to all students and staff.
Districts must focus on digital citizenship
Research shows that the majority of teachers are trained in student data privacy and digital security, but more than a quarter have no training at all.
“This is a skill that everyone needs to master, whether it’s teachers, students, families or parents. If you can log into any device in your district, you need training to do so securely.
Nearly 4 in 10 teachers and 3 in 10 school district leaders agree that educators need more training to improve their district’s cybersecurity efforts, according to the survey. I’m here.
Training for teachers should go beyond cybersecurity, said Joseph South, chief learning officer at the International Association for Educational Technology. It should be about the broader topic of how to be an effective digital citizen.
“If you’re thinking about how you can help educators, not just from a security perspective, [and students] Being a competent digital citizen will, of course, open your eyes to issues like security,” says South. “But we will also look at curating our digital footprint. We will also look at being able to distinguish between fact and fiction online.
However, some teachers (34%) said they didn’t need more security or privacy training.
Levin was concerned that more than a third of teachers didn’t want additional cybersecurity training.
“In practice, teachers are often targeted by phishing attacks,” says Levin. These emails are so cleverly crafted that hackers “can trick the most savvy of us into it,” he added.
Additionally, cybercriminals can access information such as your name and home address through your school district, so teachers have a personal interest in keeping your district’s data safe.
As cyberattacks in K-12 schools rise, 65% of school district leaders said they would increase spending on cybersecurity over the next two to three years, a survey found.
But “having money alone doesn’t solve the problem,” says South. “At the end of the day, a lot of threats have a human factor. It makes sense to spend money on training. It makes sense to spend money on hardening systems. No amount of money will protect you if you don’t help your employees become more knowledgeable, proficient and confident in using technology.”
