This article was originally published in EdTech Digest on 8/28/24 by Charlie Sander, CEO at ManagedMethods.
Multiple measures to safeguard your school’s data systems from data leaks and cyber-attacks
When you browse news stories, it seems that there’s a high-profile cyberattack on a school or other educational institution almost every week. It’s such an established fact now that it can sometimes feel like it’s barely worth drawing attention to. But unfortunately, far too many people are still unaware that schools are incredibly easy targets for hackers. Malware and phishing attacks are among the most prominent types of attacks in education—the sector ranks around fifth globally in terms of cyber incidents per year.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of these incidents slowing down either. In 2023, according to Malwarebytes, higher education institutions were flooded with cyber attacks, calling it “the worst ransomware year on record” for the sector. Not enough schools have adequate defenses to cope with the surge of attacks, which is why a multi-layered cybersecurity approach is crucial.
“Not enough schools have adequate defenses to cope with the surge of attacks, which is why a multi-layered cybersecurity approach is crucial.“
Let’s dive into what this entails and how schools can look to implement it.
What is Layered Cybersecurity?
What is layered cybersecurity? Why should schools implement it?
As the name suggests, a layered security approach involves multiple measures to safeguard your data systems from data leaks and cyber-attacks. The goal is to make it harder for a malicious actor to break into the system, where they might be able to steal sensitive data and harm your infrastructure. There are a number of analogies that work here, but one way to think of it is like a group of soldiers protecting their king/queen and castle…
