Management Information System (MIS) for schools
IT Support
Category : Blog
In recent years, the National Cyber Security Centre has reported an increase in the number of cyber attacks targeting the UK education sector. These attacks target data which they encrypt so that users can no longer access it. Sometimes cyber attackers demand a ransom in exchange for restoring access to the data, which is where
In recent years, the National Cyber Security Centre has reported an increase in the number of cyber attacks targeting the UK education sector. These attacks target data which they encrypt so that users can no longer access it. Sometimes cyber attackers demand a ransom in exchange for restoring access to the data, which is where the term ‘ransomware’ comes from.
Ransomware attacks happen most often through emails which contain malicious links or attached files. They can also happen through ‘phishing’ emails where senders pretend to be an organisation or a person you know. In both cases hackers are trying to steal user credentials, or gain entry to IT systems.
Ransomware typically encrypts data files, then demands payment of a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. There is never any guarantee that the key will work and you only find this out after payment has been made.
The best advice is to stay alert. If an email or advert looks suspicious, don’t click on any links or attachments, and always report it to your IT team or Data Protection Officer. Having strong passwords is also important. Remember that the length of passwords is the single most important factor. Any password less than 10 characters long can be hacked by brute force in under a minute!
Tip: You can edit your school’s password rules in Arbor to make sure your users have strong passwords, and set the frequency that staff need to change them.
Here at Arbor we’re proud to exceed the MIS industry standard when it comes to keeping your data safe. We are accredited by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) – an independent, non-governmental international organisation that ensures the quality and safety of software like Arbor around the world. We are accredited under ISO27001 – the international benchmark for data security.
We also store data on our central cloud-based system rather than on any individual device or server, which means if there’s a security breach at your school, your data is less likely to be lost or compromised. Your data is also backed up daily so we can quickly and easily restore access should you have a security incident. You can read more about how we protect your data in our blog here.
Whilst cyber attacks are very rare, it’s always good to be prepared. Your school or MAT Data Protection Officer should have a wider plan in place for what to do if you get a ransomware attack, but here are some quick and simple steps you can take in Arbor:
The first step we’d recommend is recycling your login information. This will help to make sure that any passwords that have been compromised as part of the ransomware attack no longer work. In Arbor you can either:
If your Data Protection Officer recommends disabling access to systems until the issue is resolved, there are a couple of options in Arbor:
As part of your continuity plans, make sure you’ve developed an internal and external communication strategy. It’s important that the right information reaches the right people at the right time, so that your team knows what’s happening and what they should do next. For steps on sending communications using Arbor, check out our help materials here.
Whilst we hope you never have to deal with a cyber attack, if you do we’ll be here to support you with anything related to accessing your Arbor data.
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