Cyber-Security Awareness Month – Protecting Your School

07 Oct 2022 UK SIC

It’s cyber-security awareness month and now is the time to spread knowledge around how best to protect your school from online attacks and threats.

Unfortunately, cyber-attacks on schools are common – this is why it‘s essential that cyber security remains a priority for any educational establishment.

Take a look at this article to find out more…

Cyber Security in UK Schools

Our partners at SWGfL released a cyber security report earlier this year to give an insight into how schools were impacted by cyber-security and what notable gaps there were in practice and policy. From the findings, it was seen that:

  • 62% of schools had not received cyber security training
  • Of the schools who reported a cyber-attack, 48% were ransomware
  • Nearly a third of schools had no IT security policy
  • It was found that smaller schools were more at risk
  • 70% of schools had no high-risk staff training in place

Cyber Security Checklist

To support schools with their cyber-security duties, SWGfL have put together a checklist of considerations that schools can address to help better protect their communities. These tasks are simple and are basic practices that can encourage significant change. Some of the areas that are highlighted include:

  • Training: Ensuring that staff are trained regularly whilst identifying who may need additional training due to added responsibilities over holding sensitive data or information.
  • Being prepared for an attack: Ensuring staff can identify and report any potential threat whilst also using technology to your advantage.
  • Preparing an emergency plan: Write down how you will respond to an attack if one happens and consider how it may differ depending on the scenario.
  • Backing up data: Ensuring that backups are in place and tested

The checklist highlights that many of these practices are inexpensive and can effectively work towards better protection.

Take a look at the checklist and ensure your school stays safe throughout the year: