The Cybersecurity Threat for K-12 Schools Continues to be a Major Concern for Educators and Administrators

Cybersecurity is a threat to us all; whether it’s an individual, a business or corporation, or a government agency, no one today has “zero risk” from a malicious hack or attack. And, unfortunately, our nation’s K-12 school districts rank among the most targeted and most vulnerable.

In the 2022-23 academic year alone, at least eight K-12 school districts throughout the country were impacted by significant cyberattacks — four of which left schools having to cancel classes or close completely. Not only have these attacks disrupted school operations, but they also have impacted students, their families, teachers, and administrators. Sensitive personal information — including, student grades, medical records, documented home issues, behavioral information, and financial information — of students and employees were stolen and publicly disclosed. Additionally, sensitive information about school security systems was leaked online after these attacks.

Typically, the loss of learning following a school or district cyber attack ranges from three days to three weeks, and full recovery can take anywhere from two to nine months. Further, the monetary losses to a school district can range from $500,000 to well over $1 million.

In fact, the concern is so great, the White House has just announced a new plan to help strengthen cybersecurity in public schools amid a growing number of ransomware attacks targeting districts across the country.

Why are K-12 schools at such a high risk for cybersecurity attacks, and what makes bad actors want to target them in the first place? Here are ten examples to consider:

Easy Targets

K-12 schools are often seen as “softer targets” compared to companies, corporations, or government agencies. They also typically have limited financial resources, outdated systems, and less experienced IT staff, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks.

Valuable Data

Schools hold a wealth of valuable data, including personal information on students, staff, and parents, as well as financial data and academic records. This data can be exploited for identify theft, financial fraud, or even sold on the dark web.

Ransom Potential

Ransomware attacks can be lucrative for cybercriminals, and schools are not immune to this threat. Hackers can encrypt school data and demand a ransom for its release, knowing that schools may be more likely to pay to recover critical information.

Disruption of Operations

Cyberattacks can disrupt school operations and online learning, causing significant inconvenience and cost to students, staff, and parents. These types of attacks can lead to class cancellations, cancellation and rescheduling of exams, and overall loss of learning time and classroom productivity.

Political or Ideological Motives

In some cases, hackers may target schools to make a political or ideological statement. They may purposely exploit vulnerabilities just to showcase the lack of cybersecurity protection, or to raise awareness about a certain issue.

Social Engineering Opportunities

Schools often have a large user base — including students, teachers, and administrators — which makes them fertile ground for social engineering tactics like phishing. Hackers can easily use social engineering tactics to trick users into revealing sensitive information or login credentials.

Botnet Recruitment

Hackers may compromise school networks to add them to their “botnet army.” A botnet is a network of comprised computers that can be used to carry out large-scale attacks, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Testing Grounds

Because they can be easily accessed, some hackers may use schools as a testing ground to hone their skills, tools, and techniques. Once they succeed in penetrating a school’s defenses, they may attempt to move on to more significant or lucrative targets.

Opportunistic Attacks

Some attacks on schools may just be opportunistic and random, where hackers scan the internet for vulnerable systems; schools without up-to-date, robust security measures in place can easily fall prey to these hackers.

Legacy Systems and Software

Many schools still use legacy systems and software that may have known vulnerabilities. And even if the systems and software is more advanced, routine updates and patches often get neglected. Hackers know how to exploit these weaknesses to gain unauthorized access.

Considering the above examples, protecting a school district’s network and information systems may seem like a daunting task, especially with limited resources. The good news is that there are more options and resources available to schools today than ever before.

Managed cloud solutions, for example, is becoming a highly attractive consideration for K-12 schools and districts — especially those with limited IT budgets — when it comes to proactively managing cybersecurity risks. There may also be grants or state and federal funds that districts can apply for to help mitigate cybersecurity risks, as well as implementing common proactive practices like internal cyber security training for staff and students, regular security and network audits, and routine software updates.

Cybersecurity will be a hot topic for education leaders for the foreseeable future; the threat isn’t going away, and the risk continues to grow. But having greater awareness of the risk is a first step in strengthening a school district’s defenses. Through proactive practices, training, policies, and governance, you’ll make great strides toward keeping your network safe.

If you’d like to learn more about the affordable and efficient ways Cox Business can help your school or school district protect itself from the growing threat of cyberattacks, please reach out to one of our education specialists. In Oklahoma City, email Chris Dykstra at [email protected]; in Tulsa, please reach out to Jack Bunds at [email protected].