The reasons for this are fairly simple
A number of education ransomware alerts have been published by the National Cyber Security Centre over the past couple of years. Thousands of schools have been attacked over the past few years and many have resulted in long term problems for the organisations affected, including the staff, students, and parents.
Whilst the rise in attacks was blamed partly on the pandemic and a rise in remote learning, the risk to schools will persist until they are provided with the tools to fight back. And these attacks are happening right now in our region. In the summer of 2021, a ransomware attack against schools in Kent actually caused several to close for several days whilst the data breach was resolved. And these cyber-attacks are continuing to affect schools and colleges every day in our region.
An online UK survey in 2022 from Cantium Business Solutions found that two-thirds (66 percent) of UK schools surveyed claimed to have suffered a cyber-attack in the last 18-months and only 35 percent felt strongly that they were well prepared to protect their school against malicious activity in the future.
The good news is that you can start to improve your cyber defences now, with little or no technical training, and no or minimum cost. And education has been provided with a wealth of free tools and services. Click here to find out more. Additionally
Whatever you do now, doing nothing should not be an option.
As an absolute minimum you should consider joining our growing community by signing up for our free core membership. Core members receive regular updates which include the latest guidance, news, and security updates. Our core membership has been tailored for businesses and charities of all sizes who are based across the seven counties in the East of England. Our site also contains numerous guidance and tools that can be accessed free for charge.
You may have access to some sort of IT support within your business and we recommend that you speak to them now to discuss how they can implement cyber resilience measures on your behalf. And find out if a response plan is currently held for your business and whether it is still in date!
If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress), please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.
Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050).
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