October is Cyber Security Month – Let’s Step Up Educators

Back in 2015, the Department of Defense here in the US declared October to be Cyber Security Awareness Month. All over the world, civilians, organizations, businesses, and municipalities are battling a barrage of digital assaults. Our data and our privacy is under attack. Educators can help students be better prepared.

Doing the Right Thing by Raising CSA Awareness

Many of our students have lived their whole lives in this digital world. Yet that does not necessarily make them well prepared and informed when it comes to protecting their data. Those of us working in the schools they attend have a great opportunity to help students (and ourselves) be more up to speed on how to protect ourselves. Many of us also have an obligation to do so depending on how regulations impact or roles and where we work.

One other vital element of cyber security awareness and safety in schools is that (as Walter Trout declared his 2017 album of the same title!): we're all in this together. When we protect ourselves and help students learn what not to do, we help protect the data and privacy of everyone who uses the same network we use. When that network gets compromised, all of our data and accounts can become vulnerable.

Resources for Learning More and Sharing With Your Students

We've written and published quite a few posts about this over the years, and recorded a great webinar last year.

These resources provide tips, raise awareness, and equip students and educators alike with more knowledge and tools to protect ourselves.

• The Darker Side of Digital: How our Accounts, our Time, and our Free Will Are Being Hacked (free recorded webinar)
• Prepare Your Students to Recognize Disinformation With the “Bad News” Game
• Why College Students have a Greater Risk of Identity Theft: Lessons and Tips
• 3 Ways for Students to Steal Your Password (yes, this one is for teachers)
• Top 5 E-Safety Tips Most Teachers Probably Don’t Know
• 10 Great Tips for Protecting Yourself and Your School From Ransomware (and Other Cyber Attacks) (yes, this is more geared towards the techies out there, but educational administrators should make sure their tech staff can speak to each of these points well)
• Keeping Yourself Safe From Online Crime: 7 Great Tips

Let's be safe out there.