Cybersecurity has become a quickly growing concern for educators.

Online learning platforms, classroom-focused devices and internet-based content have changed the educational landscape. Schools are simply no longer limited to the classroom: People seeking out an education increasingly are offered flexible digital solutions that are only a few clicks away.

However, public and private educational institutions alike have been finding themselves wholly unprepared for the cybersecurity implications of these new measures.

Covid-19 has only sped up that realization.

Schools Face Growing Security Threat

Cybercriminals targeting schools pre-dates the pandemic, of course. Classroom breaches made headlines throughout 2019, for instance, and incidents dotted the start of 2020, too. However, social distancing measures have driven an unprecedented shift toward online learning that has only amplified the issue. Many schools lack sophisticated controls for cybersecurity or an adequately informed student population. As a result, they’ve become all-too-easy targets for hackers.

In the San Francisco Bay area, for instance, a string of attacks has seriously compromised the security and safety of students. One particularly alarming incident in Berkeley saw a man gain access to a Zoom conferencing session, then expose himself to teenage students. In Oakland, administrators inadvertently leaked a large volume of login credentials for conference sessions.

Officials at Illinois’ College of DuPage in March announced a data breach of about 1,700 student records as the school began to roll out remote education plans for the pandemic. In response, the college has pledged to increase efforts to prevent future breaches and offered free credit monitoring to those affected.

The changes sparked by Covid-19 will surely leave a lasting mark on how we deliver education in the U.S. and elsewhere. The stage is set for players within the online education space to scale their products and usher in a new generation of online learning.

As such, it’s incumbent on those in charge of education programs to prepare their staff and student bodies for security in the digital age.

Lunarline is ready to help.

We offer consulting services and solutions made to work with your existing programs and fit your budget. If you’d like more information about what we can do, contact us online today.