Remote Learning: Help Your K-12 and Higher-Ed Clients Get Back to School Safely
abruptly shifted from a server-based environment to the cloud without changing and strengthening their security posture. The most visible result of this may be Zoombombing, where hackers hijack a teleconferencing session and insert materials that are lewd, obscene or racist, and typically result in shutting down the session. Schools must ensure that not only are staff following proper security protocols, but that students’ safety and privacy is protected while using cloud apps.
Teachers need education, too. While many corporations engage in regular cybersecurity training, schools haven’t necessarily done so. Make sure staff can spot phishing and other types of cyberattacks. According to EdTech, the Clinton Public School District in Mississippi sent fake phishing emails to test security practices among teachers and discovered that not only were most of the emails opened, more than half of the recipients clicked a suspicious survey link.
Institute safe password protocols. Encourage education clients to follow NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) 800-63B digital identity guidelines to ensure they’re using unique, strong, long and less frequently changed passwords. Using a dedicated password manager solution is also highly recommended to help clients generate secure random passwords that easily can be managed for all their computers, phones and tablets.
Protect sensitive data. Schools store a lot of valuable data, including financial information, Social Security numbers, and access to information on hundreds or thousands of students. Make sure the data–whether it’s in transit or at rest–is appropriately encrypted (i.e., meets the FIPS 140-3 standard). Additionally, users should have access only to the necessary information to do their jobs. That way, if there’s a breach, the damage can be minimized.
With remote learning, the threat vector is greatly expanded for schools. Students will use a mix of school-issued and personal devices to access applications and the network. Emphasize the importance of having security protocols in place that can protect users regardless of how they’re connecting. That means following the guidelines mentioned above for passwords and multifactor authentication, and securing and encrypting the data being accessed, no matter how–and where–users connect.
It’s unclear how long remote learning will be required for K-12 and higher ed, but MSPs can play a vital role in keeping their education clients safe and ensuring the success of remote learning programs. MSPs should help schools find the right remote learning and security technologies and educate clients about proper security practices so that everyone can get high marks when it comes to a secure online education.
Nathan Bradbury is Manager of Systems Engineering for Barracuda MSP, a provider of security and data protection solutions for managed services providers.
This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.
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