How can teachers avoid a data breach at school?
Data breaches have the potential to be devastating, especially in a school environment, so how can you avoid them from happening all together. To find out more, read on…
Whenever sensitive digital data is stored away, or is transferred between devices, there is a risk that it could fall into the wrong hands via a data breach. Many people attribute data breaches to corporations who store large amounts of data belonging to their customers. That said, it’s easy to forget that other institutions also run the risk of suffering a data breach, such as schools.
As well as handling their usual day to day activities, teachers also have a duty to keep the data of their students, their families and colleagues as secure as possible. Failing to do so could see the school they work for, or themselves, receive a heavy financial penalty.
If you’re a teacher and you’re concerned about being responsible for a school data breach, then keep reading to learn more about how you can prevent that from being a possibility.
What is a data breach?
In simple terms, a data breach is when sensitive data falls into the wrong hands, either through malicious intent, or through the negligence of an individual.
Data breaches are often attributed to the actions of cybercriminals which, in some cases, is accurate. There have been multiple examples of criminals who have infiltrated systems to attract sensitive information, often done remotely. Depending on the information the cybercriminal is able to access, they may choose to use it directly, or demand a ransom for retrieval.
What people often fail to realise, however, is that it doesn’t take a sophisticated attack from a cybercriminal to cause a data breach. Quite often, a human error from an employee can result in sensitive information being compromised, without any outside interference.
As a teacher, a simple mistake such as emailing the wrong person, failing to encrypt a message, or leaving physical documents out in the open can all result in a data breach.
What might happen following a data breach?
The formal process for data breaches concerns the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Once a school recognises a the breach, an internal investigation will take place to clarify exactly what data has been exposed, before self-reporting the incident to the ICO.
If an individual spots a data breach and the school hasn’t already taken action, then they can report it to the ICO themselves. So, if you’re a teacher who has seen a data breach take place and you don’t think that your school has been forthcoming, you can take matters into your own hands.
The ICO will carry out their own investigation to decipher the level of responsibility different parties should hold for the breach, as well as how the breach occurred in the first place. If it’s found that the security measures in placed were sub-par, or that anyone handling the data was negligent, then the ICO may elect to take action in the form of financial penalties.
As you might expect, if you’re a teacher who was responsible for a data breach, you may also face disciplinary action from your school, which could result in you losing your job. The importance of keeping data secure should not be underestimated!
Tips for teachers to avoid a data breach
1.) Take on a data breach awareness course
As an educator yourself, you’ll be well aware that you can never stop learning. That’s why signing up to data breach training courses, either by yourself or with your employees, is one of the best ways to help prevent a data breach from happening in your school.
The beauty of data breach training courses is that they can often be carried out remotely, and with very little cost. They won’t take out much time in your busy schedule (a few lunch time sessions may suffice) and will help to promote a more safety-conscious approach to your work.
2.) Make sure your devices are secure
If you’re using a computer in the classroom, or have any other device that contains sensitive information, then you should take steps to make sure that it’s secure. All devices come with an option to assign a password or PIN, which means that if it’s lost, it’s much less likely someone is going to be able to access the information contained within it.
3.) Install up to date security software
One of the most important steps you can take is to make sure that the security software on your devices is up to date. If you suffer a data breach that was caused by a cybercriminal, the ICO will be more likely to hand out a heavy penalty if outdated security software was to blame.
By updating your security, there will far fewer weak spots that a cybercriminal could potentially exploit, which means you won’t have to worry about getting caught off guard.
4.) Use encrypted emails
Encryption is essential when it comes to handling private data, as it means communication that is sent to the wrong people will become inaccessible. For example, if you’re sending an email to a student’s family, you can be sure that it won’t be intercepted if you enter the incorrect email address.
5.) Don’t leave information out in the open
When there are a million and one passwords to remember, it can be easy to forget them. For this reason, it’s sensible to keep a record – but that record should be kept under lock and key!
Many teachers make the mistake of leaving post-it notes with passwords next to their monitors, assuming that they will remain secure if they remain within the classroom. The reality is often quite the opposite.
If you’re a teacher that’s worried about suffering a data breach, then this short guide will have hopefully given you a better idea as to the ways you can potentially avoid them.
Have you got any more tips you think other teachers should be made aware of? Feel free to leave a comment below!
