Schools, colleges brace for cyberattacks as students return – By Maggie Miller (The Hill) / Aug 22 2021
Hackers are ready to pounce on schools and universities as they attempt to restart classes 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic while already dealing with controversial subjects such as mask mandates and hybrid learning.
Both K-12 schools and colleges have been increasingly subjected to ransomware attacks, class interruptions on virtual learning platforms, phishing emails and identity theft, further disrupting an already challenging learning environment.
“Last year was quite rough,” Doug Levin, the national director of the K-12 Security Information Exchange, told The Hill. “This year unfortunately, given the continuing challenge of responding to COVID, I think we are likely to see some school districts bouncing back and forth again between in-person and remote learning, or at least making that option available.”
Threats against the education sector have spiked over the past year, as classes have moved online with little time to prepare and under-resourced schools and colleges have struggled to cope with the increase in cyber threats that digital learning brought.
