“Cyber ​​Security” is guidance to protect students digitally

The Cyber ​​Security Council in the UAE government alerted potential cyber risks, which students may be exposed to while using electronic devices in virtual classes, or during school duties or chatting with friends.

On the occasion of the students ’return to schools, the Council directed six guidelines that help them reduce cypress risks, protect themselves in the digital world, which are to update systems and applications regularly, reduce the participation of personal information, rely on safe communication networks, use strong passwords, activate two steps, and backup data periodically, and the use of protection programs and reliable virus.

He stated within his continuous digital awareness campaigns, that the new academic year carries with him distinct memories and various challenges, including increasing the use of children electronic devices in virtual classes, or during school duties or chatting with friends.

He stressed the importance of the role of parents in directing children and protecting them digitally through simple steps, such as determining time, and helping them to identify the warning signals that contribute to protecting them from cyber threats.

He also stressed the importance of students following a set of advice to protect their data via the Internet, among them not to give their electronic devices to their classmates, and to amend the specificity of accounts through social media to “private”, not to share passwords with anyone, and the use of an entry code that does not contain the original name or date of birth, and thinking well before publishing any personal information.

The Council launched an innovative educational initiative during the past periods, to enhance school students’ awareness of electronic security, and how to build a security system to prevent any of this kind.

The campaign targeted students from the fifth to eighth, for several reasons, including the passion of students in this age group with electronic games, which makes them vulnerable to electronic attacks targeting electronic games, and their ability to abuse online, such as electronic bullying and recruitment from extremist groups, and the importance of enhancing their awareness of cybersecurity.

A study prepared by Kaspersky, which specializes in cybersecurity, showed that among the very disturbing trends in recent years, the high number of electronic attacks targeting educational institutions around the world.

She pointed to factors that make schools attractive goals for Internet criminals, including relying on technology, as educational institutions quickly turned into digital institutions, which depend on the infrastructure of information technology, whether in classrooms or in the administrative offices of schools, however their practices in the field of electronic security are often insufficient.

Schools also store a great deal of sensitive information, including students, employees and financial records, and the databases may cause devastating consequences, and these data are exactly what the attackers seek.

It also warned about another challenge represented in the lack of qualified specialists in the field of information technology in schools, especially in the field of electronic security, and the decrease in the awareness of users, and this means that they are subject to fraudulent hunting attacks and harmful programs, and other electronic threats, and often, teachers do not have great experience in the field of the Internet.

She stated that the attacks on education have become common, reviewing some examples, such as the electronic attack that targeted the Hyleine Public Schools, which is an educational area in Washington State, United States, and this incident forced the area to close its 34 schools temporarily, which affected the progress of education for more than 17 thousand students, as well as the suspension of educational activities, including sports and meetings, warning that with the presence of the education sector in the range of fire Internet criminals, school technology systems in schools need strong protection.