Backup & File Sharing, SecuriSync Backup and File Sharing, Security
The next big threat to education is ransomware
I was talking with Intermedia CTO Jonathan Levine the other day and he mentioned an article he wrote for SEEN magazine about the impact of ransomware on educational institutions. You can read the full article here.
Educational organizations are tempting targets for cybercrime
The crux of Jonathan’s argument is that educational institutions need to consider ransomware a viable threat and should plan accordingly. Unfortunately, most school districts and colleges aren’t considering themselves at risk. But the threat is real because of the very nature of how educational systems are architected. Jonathan explains:
“Educational organizations typically share similar network architectures, which results in common network vulnerabilities that offer hackers economies of scale. They often place public computers (like library and classroom workstations) on the same networks as administrative computers, meaning that an infection could be inadvertently introduced by a student. In addition, schools upgrade their systems less frequently than businesses and are less likely to keep their software up to date. They are also less likely to have backups.”
All it takes is for one student to click on a malicious email attachment or someone to purposefully sabotage the system by uploading malware and your student records, class materials, financial aid and registration files, and more are all encrypted and held hostage.
And while the ransom demands won’t be excessive, the downtime involved (while IT restores wipes and re-images infected machines and restores files from backup) could be crippling to educational institutions already working with strict budgets and school year calendars.
Get expert tips for faster recovery from ransomware attacks
Read the full article to learn more about the threat of ransomware to educational institutions and get Jonathan Levine’s tips for considering ransomware recovery in your disaster preparedness planning.
And if you have questions about cloud-based backup solutions or want to learn more about how Intermedia’s SecuriSync® file backup and sharing service serves as a ransomware business continuity solution, give us a call at 800-379-7729 or visit our website.
