As schools continue to integrate technology, it has become increasingly important to address the cybersecurity threats that accompany this digital transformation. Indeed, the reliance on learning management systems, cloud-based services, digital communication tools, and technology devices such as Chromebook or tablets has made school networks more susceptible to cyberattacks targeting student and staff data (Bowen et al., 2022). The increase in cybersecurity attacks on K-12 schools will require more specialized cybersecurity technologies, which are essential in identifying and protecting the school network from a range of severe online threats (Martin et al., 2023). According to Sarker et al. (2020), data science is revolutionizing the way technology and its operations, particularly in cybersecurity, are managed. The integration of machine learning algorithms into security systems is enabling organizations to detect, analyze, and prevent threats more effectively. These algorithms learn from large amounts of historical data, continuously refining their ability to identify anomalies and predict potential security breaches (Sarker et al., 2020). However, beyond safeguarding school networks and data from breaches, it will be essential to integrate cybersecurity education into the curriculum at an earlier level. The intention is to prepare and prevent students from exposure to cyberbullying, online predators, suicide, inappropriate sexual content, phishing, or other types of harmful content (Bowen et al., 2022). One crucial policy in this matter is The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) which aims to allocate funds to schools and libraries to ensure that students have safe internet access. In this context, while challenges remain in implementing effective cybersecurity education in schools, cooperation between teachers, parents, government, and the media can help overcome these obstacles.
Reference
Bowen, D., Jaurez, J., Jones, N., Reid, W., & Simpson, C. (2022). Cybersecurity educational resources for K-12. Journal of Cybersecurity Education Research and Practice, 1(6). https://doi.org/10.62915/2472-2707.1105
Martin, F., Bacak, J., Byker, E. J., Wang, W., Wagner, J., & Ahlgrim-Delzell, L. (2023c). Examination of Cybersecurity Technologies, Practices, Challenges, and wish list in K-12 school districts. Journal of Cybersecurity Education Research and Practice, 2023(1). https://doi.org/10.32727/8.2023.9
Sarker, I. H., Kayes, A. S. M., Badsha, S., AlQahtani, H., Watters, P. A., & Ng, A. (2020). Cybersecurity data science: an overview from machine learning perspective. Journal of Big Data, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-020-00318-5
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