Top 5 cyber threats for school districts

Most network security problems in school districts are a result of:

Phishing. The practice of sending legitimate-seeming emails that entice users to reveal personal information or to click on links that install malicious software.

DDOS. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack occurs when multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of the district servers.

Link to main story: Schools make rapid network recoveries

Data breach. The release of secure, confidential information.

Ransomware. Hackers install malicious software that encrypts the district’s data and demand a ransom payment to restore access to the data. Hackers may also threaten to release the data. In some cases, even parents and students have received threatening ransom emails.

IoT Vulnerabilities. Internet of things devices include networked equipment such as security cameras and smart watches. These devices often lack security or are not updated on a regular cycle.

Source: Consortium for School Networking (COSN)

Nancy Mann Jackson is an Alabama-based writer.

Most Popular