Tips for schools and educational institutions to secure themselves from cyber threats

Due to the adverse effects of the Nobel coronavirus, most countries have been forced to shut down schools and learning institutions to protect children and learners. The decision has led to many schools turning to remote learning to ensure continuity of the school calendar.

Distance learning has exposed schools and learners to more cybersecurity issues like phishing scams. These threats may lead to leakage of students and personal staff data hence the need for these learning institutions to secure themselves. Here are some cyber security tips;

Install advanced email security

It is crucial to ensure all the staff and students install email security that encrypts their email and blocks phishing emails that might make their way into their inbox leading to data loss.

Avoid sharing their information.

The school fraternity should be advised against carelessly or unintentionally sharing personal information to log into the school portal. This careless mistake might allow cyber criminals to log into the learning website and post ransomware attacks and possess sensitive data.

Employ skilled IT staff

For remote learning to be successful, the learning institution should heavily invest in skilled IT staff. The employment of a team of experts should be a top priority to ensure the school’s data is protected 24/7. The team should detect any threat and respond to it immediately before any information is leaked.

Use of firewall security

To ensure their cybersecurity is on a check, schools should set up a next-gen firewall that will sense and block any ransomware at the gateway. The firewall will also prevent the ransomware from any lateral movement in the system. Having a firewall with integrated SSL VPN and IPsec connectivity will give the school an option to choose between detecting the ransomware and blocking it or preventing its lateral movement.

Besides, schools can connect remotely and share confidential information in their sites through the use of SD-WAN, which is incorporated in any firewall.

Antivirus and web filtering

It is crucial to ensure the safety of your teachers and students is guaranteed as remote learning continues. The school can achieve this by advising the teachers and students to use VPN or installing a licensed antivirus.

A licensed antivirus will be able to prevent phishing and offer web filtering for IOS devices and Chrome books.

With the rising cases of coronavirus worldwide, distance learning is no longer an option but a necessity. The fore-mentioned cyber security tips, teachers, and students will have smooth online learning and have their data protected.