cybersecurity threats, See Something, Say Something at School

7 Cybersecurity Threats Every K-12 School Faces

Ransomware. DDoS. Phishing. Identify theft. Sadly, schools across the United States are becoming very familiar with these terms. Recent research indicates that K-12 institutions will have the highest rate of ransomware attacks of any industry in the coming years. For example, releasing sensitive student and teacher information can lead to identity theft. A hacker’s encryption of students’ grades and teachers’ lesson plans can lead to a loss of productivity (especially if they are not backed up) and thousands of taxpayer dollars being spent on replicating data that is gone. This is your opportunity to make cybersecurity a budget priority. Here are seven reasons why it’s important: Clickbait. The email may look legitimate, but unfortunately, it is not. A hyperlink that sends you to a malicious site is embedded in the text. This link has now taken down your school’s system. Solution: Ensure every employee has the highest email filter...

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Facial Recognition Technology

Is Facial Recognition Technology a Good Idea to Make Schools Safe?

East of Niagara Falls, NY the Lockport school system is allowing advanced security measures to keep their schools safe this year. Facial recognition technology will be used to check each face entering school buildings against a database of expelled students, sex offenders and other possible troublemakers. However, it is being implemented under pointed criticism and scrutiny. What some deem as a great option to prevent potential violence, others see as a gross violation of privacy and civil rights. This leads to the question, is facial recognition technology a good idea to make schools safe? Maybe, but only with proper planning, implementation and management. What is Electronic Facial Recognition? Facial recognition technology is part of biometrics. Essentially, it uses biological data (e.g. unique features, aka “landmarks”, geometric proportions of facial features, distance between key facial features, and skin surface texture) and electronically stores them as essential elements of an individual’s...

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