Protecting students' personally identifiable information (PII) in K-12 schools has become much more complex for districts. As district IT leaders can attest, the number of threats that schools face and the number of technology solutions each school relies on has created a perfect storm for significant data breaches.
The Importance of Safeguarding PII in K-12 Schools
The range of information schools need to store about their students has grown significantly. In addition to academic records, school districts are being held accountable for the safe storage of social security numbers, medical conditions, disciplinary actions, parents and guardians, and credit cards. Some schools even store biometric data. All of that data makes schools a lucrative target for cybercriminals.
The mishandling or exposure of such sensitive information can have severe consequences, including identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage to students and educational institutions. Regulatory compliance, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in the United States, mandates strict protocols for protecting student data. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal penalties and fines.
Challenges in Safeguarding PII
K-12 schools face a variety of challenges when it comes to safeguarding PII
Limited Resources
Many schools operate with limited IT resources and budgets, making investing in comprehensive cybersecurity infrastructure and personnel difficult.
Human Error
Despite implementing security protocols, human error remains a significant risk factor. From inadvertent data sharing to becoming victims of phishing scams, employees and students can unknowingly compromise PII security.
Rapidly Evolving Threat Landscape
Cyber threats continue to evolve, with malicious actors employing sophisticated tactics to infiltrate networks and steal data. Educational institutions must adapt quickly to mitigate these risks.
The Role of an Early Warning System in Safeguarding PII
An early warning system is crucial in proactively identifying and mitigating cybersecurity threats. Arctic Security, a leading provider of early warning services, offers an innovative approach that can enhance cybersecurity for educational institutions. By leveraging Arctic Security’s expertise and technologies, K-12 schools can implement an early warning system to safeguard PII effectively.
Arctic Security offers a range of solutions designed to monitor and analyze threat intelligence, empowering educational institutions to stay ahead of emerging risks. Here's how an early warning system can enhance PII protection in K-12 schools:
Real-Time Threat Monitoring
Arctic Security's early warning system continuously monitors various data sources, including threat feeds and dark web forums, for any indicators of potential cyber threats targeting educational institutions. You will be notified if there are indications of leaked information.
Threat Intelligence Analysis
By analyzing publicly available vulnerability data, our system can identify problems that expose your school to imminent cyberattacks, allowing schools to take preemptive measures to safeguard PII. More importantly, following the early warning notifications and remedying known issues will help you progress to an inherently more robust infrastructure that can better resist exploration by ransomware groups.
Customized Alerts and Notifications
Arctic Security's solutions generate alerts and notifications tailored to each educational institution's specific needs and risk profiles. This ensures that relevant stakeholders are promptly informed of potential security incidents.
Get Started with Arctic Security’s Early Warning System with a Free Trial for Your School
Understanding your school’s cyberattack surface is essential so your district can quickly address critical vulnerabilities before disaster strikes. Arctic Security’s Early Warning Service (EWS) provides detailed and prioritized information on active threats and vulnerabilities, with enough detail to help you quickly fix issues. Every day, the EWS platform logs over 17 million observations impacting 90,000 organizations of varied scope and size in both public and private sectors worldwide.
Arctic EWS handles a variety of threat types, including:
- Compromised systems, such as suspected malware infections
- Known vulnerabilities that are publicly visible and exploitable
- Public exposure of internal resources and interfaces
- Leaked access credentials
Get started today with the free trial we offer for K-12 schools.