The data security issues have seen a sudden rise in the education sector after the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The number of incidents that have occurred in the sector has touched 43 percent. According to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO), the rise in the reports of disclosure issues, wherein the sensitive information is shared without consent.
The number of security incidents seen by the education sector during the second quarter has reportedly risen from 355 in 2017 to 511 in 2018. It’s one of the initial data that has been released after the implementation of the GDPR. Schools were required to hold the data about the pupils in a secure environment and also respond to requests about the data. It is also mandatory for schools to have a data protection officer.
The common disclosure reasons that are been reported- Loss or theft of paperwork or digital data, the information being disclosed to the wrong recipient using email and even verbal disclosure of the data. Many security experts said that the reasons we are seeing a rise in data disclosure reports because of the rising awareness regarding data protection. The increase in Cyberattacks on schools like malware and phishing attacks has also touched almost 69 percent in last year.
Schools are said to be an easy target without high risks of being traced back. The lack of clear perspective and knowledge on cybersecurity can make the schools an easy target as other sectors are ramping up their cybersecurity.
