TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIVE PRACTICES Why Your District Needs a
Cybersecurity Awareness Program Security awareness training is crucial to protect the district’s network. By Kevin Richmiller
T
he average cost of a data breach in the global education sector is $4.77 million, or $265 per record. The cost to remediate the impact of a ransomware attack—including the cost of
downtime, data recovery, device and network repairs, security updates, and lost opportunity, as well as ransom payments—is $2.73 million, according to StealthLabs, a computer security service company.
Schools are one of the most vulnerable and lucrative targets for data breaches and ransomware. In fact, out of 17 industries surveyed, education is ranked last for cyber preparedness. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 57% of all reported ransomware attacks
asbointl.org
in August and September 2020 were targeted at U.S. K–12 schools.
Why is education such a lucrative and easy target for hackers? • Education institutions often struggle to find or afford qualified security experts to help defend their growing information technology (IT) needs.
• Districts lack funding to protect resources adequately. • End users generally lack awareness about cybersecurity.
What do schools have that hackers want? School financial information and personal identifiable infor- mation about students, parents, and employees. If an
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