Critical Reasons Schools Need to Improve Their Grades on Network Security

Hacking is something far from the minds of most school system administrators. When they consider the threat at all, they typically perceive it only as a vague and distant shadow. While schools may not fall victim to hacking at the same rate that corporate and political organizations do, the threat is nonetheless real. What’s more, many of these attacks are coming from within the school system, perpetrated by the students themselves. For instance, a 17-year-old student recently hacked his school’s network in an attempt to raise his own grades, inadvertently leaking student IDs and other personal information.

School administrators cannot turn a blind eye to this disturbing trend. Failure to make cybersecurity a priority can lead to a myriad of problems related to recordkeeping and the theft of private personal data. Solutions range from simply installing software updates and maintaining firewall settings to establishing secondary cloud-based networks to keep student and faculty access totally separate.

Here are three of the most significant issues that schools could face—even from their own students—if they fail to address their network security needs.

Incorrect student records: As mentioned above, students may hack their schools’ networks to alter their own records, giving themselves an unearned and unfair advantage over other students pursuing similar goals, such as being accepted into college. Conversely, a malicious hacker could seek to lower someone else’s grades, marring the victim’s class standing and threatening his or her future. Not only grades, but other records, such as attendance and tardiness could be targeted, leading to all sorts of mistaken actions by administrators relying on the data.

Exposed medical information: Sensitive information on school networks isn’t relegated to just grades and attendance. Schools systems also store privileged data regarding students’ medical conditions and treatments. As well, guidance counselors and school psychologists keep records on deeply personal interactions with students. Exposing this information could make some students susceptible to bullying and humiliation. A similar fate could befall anyone that students have spoken of at length with their guidance counselors, as those private notes are stored in the system too.

Unsealed faculty information: Students are not the only ones who can be targeted by these hacks. School systems also maintain sensitive information about faculty. Any sensitive medical information that a faculty member had disclosed could become public knowledge, for instance. Hackers could gain access to social security numbers from tax forms, home addresses and personal email addresses. This opens up faculty members to additional attacks. Communications between faculty members could also be exposed.

This list highlights just some of the ways that schools are vulnerable to hackers without proper network security in place. While attacks from students may seem trivial compared to some of the cybercrime in the world at large, even the simplest alteration to a student’s records could have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact. Since school systems have an inherent responsibility to protect students and faculty alike, network security should be a priority.

Cox Business

As technology takes an increasingly larger role in the classroom, preparing kids for their future has as many advantages as it does challenges. Providing the speed and quality that students and teachers need is something we at Cox Business are very proud to do. We can help design a system for your school that's tailored to the needs of your students, teachers and administrators, all while accommodating your budget. Visit www.coxbusiness.com/education to learn more about Cox Business Education solutions.