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the sites that store data in the cloud tend to be the most interest to hackers, and “generally have stronger security software and procedures” that present more of a bounty for IT criminals. Donn stressed that his judgment does not mean trans-
portation departments should consider themselves off the hook. Just the opposite, he reported; every depart- ment in every school district should take all precautions to ensure all data is protected. Pilot programs already in service can guide such
protocols. For example, Smart Education Networks by Design offers recommendations to determine whether districts have prepared sufficiently in crucial areas like technological expertise and security-breach management, as well as to having tactics in place to diminish the impact to students and employees in case of an actual electronic break-in.
As to the final point, these reaction plans should map out the district’s approach to publically revealing the crime and informing all the parties affected so that the district doesn’t appear to be hiding anything. Some districts have gone as far as to invest in insurance policies that would abate the costs of potential litigation and clean up from a cyber attack. However, it still needs to be emphasized that these
protocols are for the entire school district. Te crimes that have made front-page news over the past few months have centered on intentionally accessing student records to meddle with them, not retrieve the inner operational workings of pupil transport. Many systems within the whole operate independent-
serves the communities of Costa Mesa and Newport and their roughly 22,500 students at 22 elementary schools, two intermediate schools, four high schools, one alterna- tive education center and an adult education center. Te transportation department provides school bus service to approximately 5,000 students. Yet, even with the recent string of electronic break-ins, cyber-security does not rank as a top priority for many in student transit. “Transportation departments are not a target,” said Ed Donn, an industry consultant for 247 Security Inc., a provider and manufacturer of mobile digital video recording equipment, security cameras and GPS data management. On top of installing camera systems and the storage units for the footage, 247 Security, Inc., works with law enforcement agencies, taxi services and transit authorities. Meslin agreed with Donn’s outlook, pointing out that
ly, Donn reported. In other words, different departments within a school district have their own networks, which means that access to the encrypted data is limited to those with proper usernames and passwords, whether wirelessly or on a computer. Tis is where much of the difficulty comes in, since a number of transportation departments still have trouble gaining access to student data, even with the influx of software and apps that collect and report the arrival of school buses, locations of stops and when and where a student got on or off the bus. Meslin mentioned that if these departments acquire the necessary access, they must create appropriate procedures, train staff on how to follow these procedures, ensure safe storage on the bus and in the office for that data and create a safe disposal method for it. Meslin indicated that the holes in the system are cre-
ated here. “Getting transportation staff and their school districts to comply with the latest data security proce- dures is very difficult,” said Meslin. Donn emphasized that none of the security systems on the market are perfect, each one afflicted with its own set of problems and holes, but for many systems in use by transportation departments, a person would physical-
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