Pop Quiz: How Secure is Your Student Educational Data?

The dangers that cyber threats pose to our children have never been greater. For the schools that protect our children, and who store our student’s data, there is no child’s play in keeping our kids safe from cyber threats. Take this quick test below to see if your school and education networks are current with the IT innovations that fight today’s sophisticated cyber threats.

Does Your School Budget Allow for Proper Cybersecurity?

Education is no stranger to tight budgets. Essential programs and courses are routinely cut from cash strapped institutions. Indeed, one of the main challenges to IT administrators in education is having an adequate budget to meet the pressing and emerging cybersecurity issues in school districts.
But as education data systems become increasingly integrated with cloud computing and storage, your school needs the very best in current IT protection. When you’re counting every expense, you need cybersecurity that exceeds your expectations and performs at a fraction of what other vendors charge.

Does Your School Have Proper Identity Security?

It might be hard to imagine why anyone would want to steal your student’s identification. But when you consider how few minors have a credit file, their ID can be a “clean slate” for anyone needing a clean credit report to open utility accounts, credit cards or to take out loans.

Because parents have never before had to monitor their minor’s credit report—and children cannot be expected to monitor their own credit history—the actions of criminals who use a child’s identity can go undetected for a very long time. This makes schools a gold mine for hackers.

Hacking of schools and education facilities is on the rise, the steps you take to protect your student and their ID are the first steps to combating the several creative tactics hackers use to gain access to your network.

Are You Paying Attention to Your Student’s Data?

It is not enough to count on FERPA to monitor your IT security systems and ensure they are up to standard. Recently, major loopholes have been discovered in FERPA which allow EDTech companies to act as school officials and mine and collect your student’s data—data which is then vulnerable to third party hackers.

Make sure your parents and educators are informed on student data disclosure forms, Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs), and opt-out practices. When parents and children know their rights and the limits of EDTech in their school or district, they are able to make wise decisions based on that information.

Are Your Tech Devices Secure?

There is no question that tech devices elevate learning and help students prepare for the technological innovations they’ll encounter beyond education. This is why more than a third of U.S. students are using school issued devices.

Consider the extensive opportunities that allow hackers to access a school’s network through its devices. Not only can it be impossible to chase after the massive input from so many devices, but young students are often prime targets for hackers since they may not be familiar with the many clever tactics hackers use to gain access to sensitive information. That’s why it is more important than ever to make sure the network connected to your school’s devices is secure.

Can Your Student’s Infiltrate Your Own School Security System?

Historically, curious and tech-savvy students have always pushed the ethical limits of what educators deem acceptable use. But with all the information that can be found on integrated district networks, kids have never had more ways to access and exploit the sensitive information of their peers.

Whether it’s for financial gain, to carry out personal grudges, or even boredom, many students are proving highly capable at navigating sophisticated education security systems. Smart schools are not taking chances and, instead, opting for top-notch network security to eliminate threats from outside, and from within.

Student Data Security May Be the Smartest Move

How did you do? If you answered ‘maybe’ to any of these topics, give CIT a call today. Let us know how we can help you ace this test with the very best in education data security. With CIT on your side, you can rest assured that your network is as secure as you keep your students.