School Security :: November 25, 2008

Security Spotlight

Mastering Anti-Virus in Pasco County

If your district is still having its client computers downloading anti- virus updates from a vendor site, machine by machine, Kevin Stiles, network specialist for the Pasco School District in Washington, has some feedback: You're working too hard; you're wasting bandwidth; and that approach really isn't scalable.

Read Complete Article | Back to top

School Security News

Survey Finds Basic Cyber Security Education Absent

Only 25 percent of educators feel comfortable teaching students how to protect themselves from online cyber predators, cyber bullies, and identity theft, according to a recent study by The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Educational Technology, Policy Research and Outreach (ETPRO).

Read more | Back to top

Teens' Online Safety Improved by Education, Research Shows

New research shows that teens' online safety is improved by education. Researchers from the University at Buffalo and University of Maryland surveyed 285 preteens and early teenagers, both male and female, to determine how important they thought it was to protect their privacy online and whether those beliefs affected what actions they took to protect that privacy.

Read more | Back to top

Student Information Taken in Disk Theft

The theft of a computer disk with student information has caused embarrassment and expense for a school district in Tennessee. According to coverage in The Jackson Sun, the disk containing the social security numbers and test scores for a school's 2007-2008 sixth graders was taken from the car of an elementary school principal in the Jackson-Madison County School System.

Read more | Back to top

20,000 K-12 Schools Adopt Free Web Security Tool

Schools across the United States have been turning in increasing numbers to free and open source solutions, including solutions in the category of Web security. According to DNS provider OpenDNS, more than 20,000 schools and districts so far have adopted its free Internet security service designed for filtering Internet content for students and staff.

Read more | Back to top

Cyber-Crooks Disguise Malware as Files Related to 'High School Musical'

Schools may want to bolster monitoring of student use of peer-to-peer file sharing networks over the next few months, according to PandaLabs, the research arm of Panda Security. The company, which sells security solutions, has reported that numerous downloadable songs and videos related to Disney's movie High School Musical are being used to disguise malware, including viruses, worms, and Trojans. The infected files are distributed through peer-to-peer file sharing networks such as eMule and eDonkey.

Read more | Back to top

Q1 Labs Offers Free Tool for Log and Compliance Management

Q1 Labs announced the availability of a free, downloadable log management and compliance product that provides users with visibility across networks, data centers, and infrastructures.

Read more | Back to top

Coming Up

Find events at THE Journal's online Conference Calendar.

T.H.E. Journal Opportunities

Share Your Best Practices

T.H.E. Journal is currently looking for the following types of articles for future issues and for our eNewsletter, T.H.E. SmartClassroom:

  • School Perspectives - discuss a specific topic, trend, or concern about education technology.
  • Case Studies - have you implemented technology and learned a lot from the experience? If so, share your efforts about what worked -- and what didn't.

If you have a potential article, or questions about the above topics, please e-mail [email protected]

==================================================

EduHound.com

  • EduHound Directory is a highly specialized K-12 educational directory with categorized resource links.
  • EduHound Lesson Plans feature thousands of free lessons that meet state and national standards.
  • EduHound Site Sets are collections of topic-based online resources.
  • Classroom Tools & Tips: Eduhound's highly popular newsletter that provides valuable ed tech resources to incorporate into K-12 curriculum. Educational topics, preformatted templates, technology tutorials, and practical tips are featured. Published on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month. Sign up for free by clicking here.

Awesome Clipart for Educators

Awesome Clipart for Educators offers educators FREE clipart, backgrounds, fonts, icons, worksheets, wallpaper and more. http://www.awesomeclipartforeducators.com

EducatorTemplates.com

Your FREE directory of customizable & printable education related templates.
http://www.educatortemplates.com

Featured

  • abstract image representing AI tools for reading and writing

    McGraw Hill Introduces 2 Gen AI Tools for K–12, Higher Ed Students

    Global education company McGraw Hill has added two new generative artificial intelligence tools to help personalize learning experiences for both K–12 and higher ed students, according to a news release.

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs Off on AI Content Safeguard Laws

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills into law, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • KnowBe4-MobileMind Integration to Simplify Security Training Management

    It's now easier for MobileMind users to track and manage teachers' progress with KnowBe4's security training campaigns.

  • Human Error Remains the Leading Cause of Cloud Data Breaches

    Human error is still one of the biggest threats to cloud security, despite all the technology bells and whistles and alerts and services out there, from multi-factor authentication, to social engineering training, to enterprise-wide integrated cybersecurity platforms, and more.