According to a recent survey by Cantium Business Solutions, over three quarters (78%) of UK headteachers believe that their school faces an increased risk of being exposed to a cyber incident.

Universities, schools and other education institutions often hold sensitive, personally identifiable information which makes them attractive to cyber criminals who are looking to make money from withholding this information for ransom.

However, despite this, the survey, which covered the views of just over 500 UK head teachers, school IT professionals and teaching staff, reported that 37% of respondents do not rank cyber security as a priority. Yet two thirds of those surveyed claimed to have suffered a cyber attack in the last 18 months - and only 35% ‘felt strongly’ that they were well prepared to protect their school against malicious activity in the future.

The NEBRC is a police-led organisation set up to support organisations from online crime and fraud. NEBRC Detective Inspector, Steve Leach comments:

“Cyber security should be a high priority on any school’s agenda. “A holistic business approach is essential: from governing boards and senior leaders, through to staff and admin teams, providers and suppliers, everyone has a part to play in helping to ensure robust and necessary cyber management.”

The NBERC works to offer insights, support and guidance on how best to prevent cyber attacks. By following a few simple steps, you can immediately improve cyber security at little or no cost.

Visit and share with your colleagues the NEBRC webinar for the education sector, found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR9Hhoj5-7M

For more information on how to stay safe online visit our website https://www.nebrcentre.co.uk/ where we offer a range of resources, including a FREE core membership package.