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COMPUTING & IT RESOURCES
Almost 12,000 Schools Could Fall Victim to Cybercrime This Year
challenging for the education sector and it’s clear that the shift to remote learning has left many schools feeling vulnerable and unprepared to protect themselves against cyber criminals. As the threat landscape evolves and schools continue to adopt digital technologies, it’s important to invest in cyber security measures, education and expertise that can help protect against malicious activity. Cyber security doesn’t just fall down to the IT department, it’s a mindset and level of awareness that helps to prevent cyber-attacks and safeguard staff and pupils”.
C
yber security is not ranked as a high priority for 37% of schools, according to
the latest survey carried out by Cantium Business Solutions.
Over three quarters (78%) of UK head teachers believe their school faces an increased risk of being exposed to a cyber incident in light of remote learning, our latest survey reveals. The survey, conducted in partnership with
Censuswide, also showed that despite this, nearly four in ten (37%) of respondents, including school staff and IT professionals do not rank cyber security as a high priority. On a national level, this could mean that almost 12,000 schools are at greater risk of suffering from a cyber-attack this year. The online survey covered the views of just over
500 UK headteachers, school IT professionals and teaching staff. It found that two-thirds (66%) of UK schools surveyed, claimed to have suffered a cyber-attack in the last 18-months and only 35% felt strongly that they were well prepared to protect their school against any future malicious activity.
East of England at Greater Risk The survey suggests that secondary schools in the East of England are more vulnerable to cyber- attacks. 84% of schools in the East of England claimed to have suffered a cyber incident in the past 18-months, compared to the nationwide average of 66%. Additionally, schools in the region felt their risk of a cyber incident had increased, with 55% for those in the East of England agreeing.
Understanding the Challenge Ahead Despite head teachers acknowledging the heighted exposure that remote and home learning brings with it, the survey showed that 46% of schools believe the cyber threat will not increase further in 2022.
Detective Inspector Fiona Bail, Head of Cyber
and Innovation at the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre (ECRC), noted the significance of the strain remote learning placed on the education system, which was already “a key target” for cyber- attacks. “Cybercrime continues to increase and
unfortunately there is no evidence that the number or scale of attacks will be decreasing soon,” she commented.
Helping Schools Mitigate the Risk With a shared objective of increasing cyber resilience in the region, Cantium have partnered with the ECRC, a non-profit organisation backed by the police service to fight cybercrime. Alongside the ECRC, Cantium have created a flexible approach to providing a comprehensive suite of security services to education providers, as well as offering free ECRC membership to Kent schools. This membership provides a wealth of resources such as a step-by-step Guide to Achieving Cyber Essentials, expert guidance, regular updates, and much more. Cantium and its partners have the tools and
expertise to help you adopt and foster a culture of security. We aim to provide affordable security measures to help you adapt to the evolving threat level and safeguard data, staff and pupils. If you would like to learn more about how to
protect your school with our 'Security as a Service' education offering, speak to us today.
“Cybercrime continues to increase and unfortunately there is no evidence that the number or scale of attacks will be decreasing soon.” - Fiona Bail, Head of Cyber and Innovation at the ECRC
“Education are key targets due to the sensitive
nature of the data that they hold, as well as the complexities of the systems involved, which make secure configuration and implementation of controls tricky. Educational institutions are also easy targets for students who are experimenting with their cyber skills, so being able to identify and nurture technical talent is a problem which other businesses may not have to face. Covid has already placed huge demands on the education sector and having a cyber-attack occur, losing access to key files and data, or being unable to teach, is a situation that no one wants.” Mark Scott, CEO at Cantium Business Solutions said, “The last year has been particularly
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www.education-today.co.uk
u03000 411 115
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March 2022
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