As the holiday season approaches, many students and teachers are looking forward to time off from school. Unfortunately, this time of year also brings with it an increased risk of cybersecurity incidents. With much of the IT staff off for the holidays, schools and school districts become more vulnerable to malicious actors who may try to take advantage of the weakened security systems. These cyber threats can manifest in a multitude of ways. How can K-12 school districts protect themselves during this time of year?
How Cyber Threats Increase During the Holiday Season
The holiday season brings many joys to the world, but it also brings with it a dark side in the form of cyber threats. Cyber criminals are known to ramp up their operations during the holidays, taking advantage of the fact that security teams are often out of the office. This leaves schools especially vulnerable to attacks, as educational institutions are increasingly targeted by malicious actors.
One example of a successful cyberattack during a holiday period was the recent ransomware strike on Baltimore City Schools. Over winter break, hackers infiltrated the school’s systems and held them for ransom. The attackers demanded $100,000 in bitcoin and threatened to delete student records if their demands were not met. The attack caused significant disruption and forced the district to postpone its planned return after the break.
The Baltimore City Schools example demonstrates just how damaging a cyberattack can be during the holiday season. This emphasizes the importance of proper cybersecurity precautions for all organizations, but especially for K-12 education systems. Schools must ensure that their cybersecurity measures are up-to-date and robust enough to protect against even the most sophisticated attacks.
K-12 School Districts Are Vulnerable to Multiple Types of Attacks
It's important that schools remain aware of the most common types of cyberattacks they may experience, as well as their strategies for responding to them. One of the most common cyber threats to K-12 education is a malicious software attack. Malicious software (or malware) is designed to infiltrate computer systems to disrupt their normal operations. This could include anything from corrupting data, stealing information, or even crashing or wiping systems altogether. Cybercriminals may also use malware to gain access to school databases, steal confidential information such as student records, or even lock users out of their accounts.
Ransomware is a type of malware that targets computers, encrypting all data on the device and making it inaccessible to the user unless a ransom is paid. It's an increasingly popular form of cyberattack that has been particularly dangerous for K-12 schools in recent years.
When ransomware strikes a K-12 school, the effects can be devastating. Schools are especially vulnerable because of their limited IT staff and resources. Without proper safeguards in place, attackers can gain access to school systems, networks, and databases containing confidential student information which are particularly valuable to hackers as they look to exploit student personal data for identity theft. Once access is gained, attackers will often deploy ransomware, making it impossible for staff to access anything on the system until the ransom is paid. In many recent ransomware attacks, the hackers exfiltrate the data in additional to encrypting it on the school’s machines. That way, if a school were to attempt to restore their systems from a backup instead of paying the ransom, the hackers would then threaten to sell or otherwise make public the stolen information unless the ransom is paid.
Another type of cyberattack that schools should be aware of is phishing attacks. These attacks occur when cyber criminals send emails, texts, or messages containing malicious links or attachments that are designed to fool users into clicking on them. If clicked, these links or attachments can install malware onto their computers or access confidential data stored in their accounts.
The Timeline of a Cyberattack
The timeline of a cyberattack in a school can be broken down into three stages: infiltration, exploration, and exploitation. During the infiltration stage, cyber criminals may access a school’s network by exploiting any vulnerable systems or security weaknesses they find. An example of this could be when an unsuspecting employee clicks a malicious link or downloads a corrupted file. The cybercriminal will then use this access to explore the system and determine what data they can gain access to and potentially encrypt or exfiltrate. Finally, in the exploitation stage, they take advantage of their access to gain control of the system and its data. Once the attacker has reached the exploitation phase, they will render the encrypted files inaccessible, and begin their extortion tactics. If the school pays the ransom, or meets the other demands of the criminal, they will receive the decryption key needed to regain access to their data. Unfortunately, even if the ransom is paid, there’s no guarantee that attackers won’t launch another attack or steal confidential information from the school. The damage is done and the ongoing remediation for an attack of this sort is lengthy and expensive.
School districts should remain vigilant against cyber threats, like malware and ransomware, this holiday season by ensuring that their networks and systems are secure and properly monitored 24/7 for suspicious activity. By understanding the most common types of cyber threats and following best practices for security, schools can help protect their networks from malicious actors.
Best Practices to Keep Your School District Safe During the Holidays
It’s important for school districts to take the necessary steps to ensure their security during the holidays. Here are some basic best practices for cybersecurity:
- Implement a strict password policy that requires employees to regularly change their passwords.
- Encrypt all data stored on networks and devices, as well as backup data in case of any system failure.
- Educate faculty and staff – and students – on phishing attacks and suspicious emails, as well as provide training on how to recognize and respond to them.
- Use multi-factor authentication when possible, to reduce the risk of compromised accounts.
- Utilize antivirus software to protect against malicious activity and monitor system activity.
- Set up an intrusion detection system (IDS) to detect and prevent unauthorized access to networks.
Schools can mitigate the risk of a cyberattack and stay protected during holiday closures by utilizing Securus360 MXDR, a cloud-based security platform that combines the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Human Intelligence to provide advanced threat anticipation, detection, response, and remediation. With Securus360 MXDR, schools can have real-time visibility across all their devices, cloud instances, email as well as user activity to proactively detect and neutralize potential threats BEFORE they cause damage. Securus360 also provides automated incident response, which analyzes threats and launches containment and remediation measures within minutes of an alert being triggered.
Don’t wait until it’s too late—take action now and protect your school district from cyber threats this holiday season and beyond. Contact Securus360 today to learn more about how this advanced MXDR is currently protecting schools in some of the nation’s largest districts and how this service can protect your organization from a cyberattack while keeping your school’s name out of the headlines.
