Cyber-attacks on schools are on the rise and it's the responsibility of everyone in the district to be vigilant and minimize the risk.
As of 2025, schools are now the 4th most commonly-targeted sector by hackers, and that's bad news for student safety. Your school's computers hold vast amounts of private, protected information on your students - information that could be exploited by scammers and other malicious actors.
Worse, this is a problem you can't entirely rely on law enforcement to handle. With so many hacker groups operating overseas, government protection is minimal. Your district must ensure you're following good data handling for your own sake.
How Can I Keep My District Safe From Hackers?
This is a big, complicated topic. But broadly speaking:
1 - Invest in data encryption
Every byte of private information in your servers should be encrypted, using strong keys that can't be easily cracked. Never ever allow student data to be stored in plain text, or it's begging to be stolen.
2 - Back up everything
You also need off-site backups of your data. Ransomware attacks - where a computer's systems are locked off by attackers until a ransom is paid - are also on the rise. Good backups mitigate this risk, and allow you to restore your systems without paying extortion money.
3 - Provide security training to the entire staff
ANY district employee, from the Superintendent down to the janitors, could potentially be manipulated into helping data thieves. Emphasize proper data handling procedures and the importance of protecting their login credentials. However, be sure to also cover social engineering, where attackers trick or con their targets into giving up information. This is typically more common than pure electronic hacking.
4 - Educate families
Data security extends to the family as well. For example, if your district utilizes a parental notification app, that app could be used against them if their cellphone was stolen. Encourage use of biometrics, such as fingerprint scanners, to lock down devices with school access.
5 - Immediately report any breach
Laws vary between states, but most areas require rapid reporting of any school data breach. Do so! Alerting those who are affected can give them fair warning, and an opportunity to protect themselves.
BusBoss wants to ensure student safety in body, mind, and data. If you need secure transportation applications that will keep your student's data safe, contact us to discuss your options.
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PRESIDENT
Sonia has been involved with BusBoss since the late 1990’s, and has personally overseen many projects for various customers ranging from large urban and suburban districts to smaller rural school districts from all over the country.