In the context of the coronavirus epidemic, the only way out of this situation is education through internet conferences. Because dedicated teachers continue to teach their students, they face many challenges. The most important of these is cyber security in the context of online education, because even the smallest error can endanger the privacy and security of teachers, pupils and parents. Moreover, students are undoubtedly more technically competent than their teachers, which makes the latter more vulnerable to cyber attacks. That’s why we offer you a short but comprehensive guide to cyber security after in-depth discussions with stakeholders in the field of distance learning.

Cyber security risks for teachers

Distance learning is often seen as a simple and transparent process in which the instructor gives courses online, assigns assignments and evaluates grades. After all, distance learning can be very dangerous and expose teachers and their families to cyber attacks. Now let’s talk briefly about some of the most serious problems the teachers have told us about.

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Cyber security tips for teachers to protect themselves against cyber attacks.

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1. Protection of your personal information

Teaching is an honourable affair and most teachers are concerned about making their private lives public for security reasons. This is possible if you use the same e-mail address for both personal and business purposes. So, to keep your privacy secret, make sure the two accounts are separate and always use your personal account to log into your social network profiles.

This helps protect your personal information, such as photos, videos, and conversations that might otherwise send the wrong message. Some teachers prefer to give up their social media profile altogether, which is not necessary because social networks allow them to stay in touch with friends and family.

2. Lack of minimum standards

Most teachers are concerned that school authorities do not intervene or set minimum standards for connected equipment. This is very important because most students in distance learning use personal equipment over which the teachers have no control. In the absence of minimum standards, such as operating system version, browser version, etc., attackers can exploit system vulnerabilities to penetrate the network.

3. Database security

A school’s WiFi network can cause serious security problems as it allows attackers to intercept data during transport and gain unauthorised access to the school’s database. This can lead to both data leakage and manipulation of student assessments. In general, this would pose a serious threat to the integrity of the data available in the database.

It is suggested to read:

Reasons for cybercrime and preventive measures
Urgent need to improve cyber security in education

Other issues raised by teachers

In addition to being concerned about their own safety, teachers are also concerned about the cyber security of the pupils and their parents. Because if a hacker had access to the school’s database, he would also have access to his parents’ personal and confidential information.

Another big problem was clicking on malicious links that could endanger the safety of teachers, pupils and their families. Since all the devices in the house are connected to the same network, a single phishing connection can make them all vulnerable to cyber attacks. This raises the question whether cyber security should be taught in schools, especially at a time when education and public life are heavily dependent on vulnerable digital resources.

How to remain protected during distance learning

Coronavirus blockage can spread and lead to remote interactions with students, which means special cyber security measures are needed to protect themselves and others. It may seem difficult at first glance, but you won’t have any problems with the following tips.

  1. Download the VPN and use it to connect to the Internet. Because it hides your IP address, it adds an extra layer of security and helps protect your personal information. It also encrypts your online traffic, preventing hackers from accessing your location.
  2. Use a professional account to connect to distance learning applications and software. Do not use this account to link to your social media profiles, send personal emails or pay bills.
  3. Use an up-to-date operating system, firewall and virus protection.
  4. Use the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) function to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic.
  5. Payment is only possible via your own internet connection and via encrypted websites.

The above cybersecurity tips help to reduce the area of attack and minimize the risk of cyber attacks.

Conclusion

In this day and age, data is of the utmost importance. Data protection is the biggest challenge for all companies. Cybercrime is increasing with increasing digitization. Choosing secure access to the Internet can help prevent cybercrime. Having sufficient knowledge about what cybercrime is and how users are caught online will help to take precautions. Click on the link for more information on cybercrime.