Figures for Q2 of 2018/19 from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
Of the 4,056 data security incidents reported to the ICO for Q2, 511 came from the Education sector. As you can see from the chart below, ‘Disclosure of data’ and ‘Security breaches’ accounted for the majority of breaches.
Phishing emails have become very sophisticated and can look as though they are authentic, so can fool even the most experienced IT manager in any profession, including IT! “Schools have to work continuously to secure their data” added Paul Guha, IT Director at GNC Technology, an EDFirst listed school supplier in Shropshire. Paul added, “Cybersecurity is now at the forefront of many schools IT programme and, quite rightly so. But, it is not only about systems; it is also about people and, getting them trained, so they know what to look out for. The biggest threats schools face in IT are:
⦁ Ransomware
⦁ Coinminer malware
⦁ Email compromise
⦁ Internal data breaches
⦁ CCTV and other monitoring tools
Disclosure Policies form part of the overall GDPR requirements for schools; however, hackers, ransomware, and other problems can create breaches that staff is not aware of until after the event. One way to help ensure your systems are secure is to become Cyber Essentials accredited. “The accreditation process will help you guard against the most common threats and shows your commitment to cyber security. This is a route more and more schools are taking.” Added Paul who has helped many organisations achieve accreditation.
https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/data-security-incident-trends/
June Meagher
GNC Technology
www.gnctechnology.co.uk or call me on 0333 241544
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