Cyber safety 101: safeguarding staff & student data in the mobile age

Connectivity and cybersecurity are now integral components of the modern education system. And access to a secure, reliable network is no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a non negotiable.

Over the last few years, education has seen a wave of technological advancement, from tablets in the classroom to remote collaboration. These changes have made teaching more efficient for educators and more engaging for students. But as educational organisations hold a vast amount of sensitive data such as student history, medical records, and financial information strong cyber safety plan essential. 

Cyber safety involves a set of practices that can be designed to protect students, teachers, staff and educational institutions from online threats, ensuring secure and reliable internet use. Cyber safety encompasses several key strategies:

1. Secure Communication: Using encrypted channels to keep sensitive information safe.
2. Personal Information Protection: Ensuring personal details are kept private and shared only on trusted platforms.
3. Awareness of Online Threats: Understanding and recognising risks such as scams, phishing, and malware.
4. Safe Browsing Practices: Avoiding suspicious websites and downloading files only from reputable sources.
5. Use of Strong Passwords: Creating complex, unique passwords and updating them regularly to bolster security.
6. Regular Software Updates: Keeping all software and security programs up-to-date to defend against the latest threats.

The goal of cyber safety within the education system is to create a safe, educational, online environment where students and staff can operate confidently and securely, free from the constant threat of cyber attacks.

When you think of the typical target of cybercrime, most people imagine financial or governmental institutions. But because much of the data that educators hold falls under the umbrella of personally identifiable information (names, addresses, contact details, and academic records), this makes them an attractive prospect for hackers, as they look to gain unauthorised access, engage in identity theft, or even hold an organisation to ransom.

There is a misconception that cybercriminals might be less likely to target a public sector organisation. Many educators don’t consider investing in cyber safety measures until it’s too late, compounding the problem. For example, only 16% of colleges have looked for external cybersecurity or IT providers. Budget fears might also play a role in this decision, as education providers may assume that cyber safety measures will be costly, and not worth the investment — after all, it’s difficult to put a price on preventing a threat that might not occur.

But, unfortunately, it can happen to any education organisation, with the UK education sector the most likely to suffer from ransomware in particular. From the Maidstone secondary school hit with ransomware, to the London school forced to temporarily close after a cyber attack, no knowledge institution is safe. And with a risk of being fined up to 4% of your turnover or £20 million for accidentally breaching EU data protection laws, it’s doubly crucial for educators to ensure they have a strong security protocol in place today.

Cyber safety for students is a specialised focus within internet safety, aimed at protecting young people and adults in education from the specific risks they face online. As students are often more vulnerable and less experienced, tailored measures are necessary to ensure their safety. Key elements of cyber safety for students include:

1. Education and Awareness: Teaching students about potential online dangers and how to recognise and avoid them. This includes identifying phishing attempts, understanding cyberbullying, and recognising inappropriate content.
2. Parental Controls and Monitoring: Implementing parental control software to oversee and restrict students’ online activities, ensuring they only access age-appropriate content.
3. Safe Social Media Practices: Educating students on responsible social media use, such as setting privacy settings, not sharing personal information, and recognising stranger danger.
4. Cyberbullying Prevention: Informing students about the impact of cyberbullying, how to avoid becoming a victim, and how to seek help if they encounter online harassment.
5. Secure Use of Devices: Encouraging the use of security features on devices, such as strong passwords, biometric locks, and encryption.
6. Digital Footprint Management: Teaching students about the long-term implications of their online actions and how to manage their digital footprint carefully.

For students, cyber safety is about more than just protectio - it’s about fostering responsible, ethical online behavior. By instilling these practices early, educators and parents can help students become savvy, responsible users, ready to navigate the internet safely and confidently.

A great first step is to assess the state of your current connectivity. Strong, reliable network access is the foundation of every effective cyber safety strategy, giving you the breadth of bandwidth required to maintain 24/7 security across all devices

Once this is in place, start building aholistic strategy to safeguard student and teacher data on the go. Increasing protection at device level is a sensible first focus. This can involve multi-factor and biometric authentication on mobile devices, and training on cyber hygiene for students and staff alike. In particular, the latter goes a long way fostering a safe,efficient, and resilient learning environment, helping to prepare students for a digitally connected world.

Would you know if your organisation had been targeted by cybercriminals? It can be surprisingly hard to tell if you’re the victim of a malware or phishing attack until it’s too late. To add an extra layer of security to the steps above, look into tools that protect against these types of crimes, as well as data loss, such as Three Mobile Protect. Alongside this, recommend the use of encrypted communication channels to employees, to ensure that even if data is intercepted, it remains unreadable.

Students and staff alike should be able to connect, learn, and thrive without the worry of cyberthreat — and with the right solutions in place, they can.

Three Business's connectivity solutions are tailored to suit your unique needs as an education provider. Our bespoke, value-first public sector plans are built to nurture a collaborative, secure learning environment, all underpinned by fast, reliable connectivity. And with the optional add-on of Three Mobile Protect, your staff and students can put privacy and security first while staying connected.

Find out how Three Business can help you to keep your students and teachers secure on mobile devices.