Your Guide To a Cybersecure Christmas

Every student and teacher liked the holidays a lot... But the cybercriminal, who lurked on the dark web, did NOT! The cybercriminal hated the holidays! The whole festive season! But they saw a chance to attack, for a very dark reason...

During major public holidays and long breaks, incidents of cyber-attacks typically increase by about 30%, putting schools and districts at increased risk.

Don't let the 'mean, green one' steal the joy, or worse, the personal data, from your school this Christmas. Before you close up for the winter recess, the Secure Schools team offers these essential tips, practical advice, and simple strategies to significantly lower the threat of digital attacks across your school or district during the holiday period.

1. Prioritize Cybersecurity Awareness During the Festive Season

It can be tough to give your full attention to potential hazards lurking in your emails, phone calls, etc, during the hustle and bustle leading up to the end-of-year holidays.

Inboxes are often flooded with Secret Santa invitations, special promotional offers, and holiday party requests. As a general rule, always maintain a high degree of caution and vigilance before clicking any suspicious links or submitting private information on third-party platforms.

A recent analysis indicates that almost half (45%) of employees who are preoccupied by the holidays fail to adequately follow their organization's cybersecurity policies. It is vital to stay current with your school district's or institution's security protocols and adhere to them as you would at any other time. Since cybercriminals understand that vigilance often slips during this period, doing your part is critical to prevent a major incident. 

2. Recognise and Counter Common Digital Threats

We have already moved through the major sales events like Black Friday and are now fully engaged in purchasing holiday gifts and supplies. December is inherently a highly profitable period for retail spending.

Regrettably, it is also a very profitable month for cybercriminals. By capitalizing on the shopping frenzy, cybercriminals often employ a variety of low-effort attack vectors:

• Deceptive retail websites and credential harvesting scams.
• Fake advertisements, particularly distributed via email and social media, which use urgent calls-to-action to pressure recipients into clicking. 
• Malicious links.
• Phishing and quishing campaigns. 

Spear phishing also peaks during the Christmas season. Be especially careful of unexpected emails or messages that appear to come from a 'supervisor' or 'Senior Leadership' requesting immediate or critical action. This tactic is particularly common when targeting finance personnel and budget authorities with urgent transaction or detail requests. Maintain your vigilance, identify the warning signs of suspicious digital activity, and promptly report concerns to the appropriate individual within your school or district.

3. Holiday Closures Require Stronger School and District Defenses

Everyone deserves a needed vacation, and cybercriminals know that school holidays present an opportune window to attack.

While this doesn't mean your entire staff must be working through the break, it does necessitate that your digital defenses are robust and all systems are completely updated before you close the doors for the holidays:

• Ensure all software and systems are fully updated, with the latest security patches installed.
• Verify compliance with all essential cybersecurity standards and frameworks applicable to K-12 schools and districts. 
• Execute pre-holiday cybersecurity audits to internally identify and document any potential weak spots or system vulnerabilities. 
• Establish a comprehensive and tested incident response plan to minimize the impact of an attack. Crucially, confirm that all designated personnel are fully aware of their responsibilities in advance of a cyber attack.

Final thoughts 

The winter holidays are the perfect time to disconnect, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. By adopting the mindful and practical cybersecurity approach we’ve outlined, you can head into your winter recess feeling significantly more secure about your school's digital defenses. While no defense strategy is infallible, implementing even a portion of the actions listed above will make it substantially more difficult for cybercriminals to successfully launch a cyberattack and spoil your holiday season.

If you are concerned about your school or district’s readiness for a potential cyber attack, the best first step is understanding where you stand.

We recommend finding out your school or district's current cybersecurity posture by using our free tool, cyber score. It's the easiest way for K-12 schools and districts to measure resilience and clearly highlight improvement priorities. Click here to find out more about cyber score.