I know schools and trusts really don’t need anything else to be concerned about right now, but….
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an alert yesterday warning schools and other educational settings that they have been investigating an increased number of ransomware attacks on educational settings, including schools, since August 2020.
I am the DPO for one multi-academy trust that was affected by a cyber security incident like this at the end of August, and the amount of work and inconvenience it causes is huge.
Due to the prevalence of these attacks, the NCSC is strongly recommending that schools follow their updated guidance on mitigating malware and ransomware which can be found here.
The alert can be found here. It is intended for your IT colleagues and the NCSC recommends discussing its advice with your IT providers if you are using outsourced services.
If you would like to know more about how I can help you keep your data safe and be confident that you are complying with data protection law, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat. Contact details below.