In today’s digital age, where technology is deeply ingrained in our daily lives, ensuring the cybersecurity of our educational institutions has become paramount. K-12 schools are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks, highlighting the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures. With hackers constantly evolving their tactics, it is imperative for schools to deploy intelligence-powered cybersecurity solutions to protect against these threats.
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in cyberattacks targeting K-12 schools. For example, in 2023 80% of K-12 schools fell victim to ransomware attacks. Hackers view schools as lucrative targets due to the vast amount of sensitive information they hold, including student records, financial data, and confidential communications. Additionally, the shift towards digital learning platforms has further increased schools’ vulnerability to cyber threats. 85% of U.S. educational institutions have reported an increase in cyber threats since moving to digital learning.
K-12 schools face significant challenges in deploying cybersecurity technology due to budget constraints. With limited funding, schools often struggle to invest in robust cybersecurity measures, leaving them vulnerable to cyber threats. This lack of resources can hinder the implementation of essential security tools, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and security training programs for staff and students. Additionally, maintaining and updating these technologies require ongoing expenses that many schools simply cannot afford. A solution has been developed by local company LANRover with cybersecurity company Centripetal to provide proactive real-time intelligence powered cybersecurity protection against all known threats for K-12 schools titled CleanINTERNET®.
Traditional cybersecurity measures are no longer sufficient to protect against the sophisticated tactics employed by hackers. Schools need to elevate their defenses without major costs or expanding their security team. By implementing intelligence powered cybersecurity, schools can harness real-time threat intelligence from a global network, which allows schools to have visibility into potential threats long before they can impact the network. This technology acts as a shield, safeguarding the network against any malicious activity.
Several schools have successfully implemented intelligence-powered cybersecurity solutions and have seen significant improvements in their security posture. This solution works as it includes having a team of dedicated analysts who have extensive threat hunting expertise, watching the network 24x7x365. Normally, such services would be cost prohibitive for a school district but LANRover’s solution is able to be deployed at a reasonable price point.
CleanINTERNET® allows school districts to:
- Protect their valuable IT assets and applications in a cost-effective manner. Centripetal analysts provide an additional monitoring layer, tracking any unusual behavior.
- Monitor and protect personal information such as student records, health records and faculty information. It also helps prevent attacks on intellectual property and sensitive research results.
- Safeguard the institution, its partners, and stakeholders. The reputation of the institution is at stake and protection in both breadth and depth is paramount.
- Reduce the overhead of malicious and reconnaissance traffic in the network which has the effect of reducing overall IT costs around collection, storage, and analysis of security event data.
It’s time to reconsider your approach to defending your school against cyber threats. Traditional methods are insufficient against today’s rapidly evolving threats, making it crucial to reassess your defense strategies. By adopting a proactive stance rather than a reactive one, school districts can outpace cybercriminals.
School districts need to embrace a solution that effectively protects against both current and future threat actors, safeguarding digital assets and ensuring uninterrupted learning and collaboration – intelligence-driven cybersecurity.