63% of US schools plagued by IT Security breaches, says Panda Security

By eGov Innovation Editors | Mar 29, 2011

Thumbnail: 

Panda Security recently announced the results of its inaugural Kindergarten-12 Education IT Security Study, showing, among other things, that 63 percent of US schools experience malware outbreaks or unauthorized user access at least twice a year.

The study, which surveyed more than 100 individuals that manage IT security at Kindergarten-12 (K-12) school districts in the United States, examines security practices and top security concerns in schools and school districts.

"The results indicate that IT security is a resource-heavy, time-consuming effort that schools struggle to manage efficiently," Panda Security said. "With malware on the rise and new threats propagated through social media every day, having the right security tools in schools has never been more important."

According to the survey, 64 percent of schools have experienced significant downtime, reporting at least two incidents in the last year. Schools also struggle to upgrade IT security systems, with 72 percent identifying budget constraints as the primary barrier to advancement, and 38 percent identifying a lack of staff for these initiatives.

Twenty-nine percent also indicate that the IT staff has other priorities that take precedent over IT security system upgrades.

“While the Internet is an invaluable tool for education, it can cause serious interruptions to day-to-day operations if schools fail to properly address security concerns,” said Rick Carlson, president of Panda Security US. “The findings of the Kindergarten-12 Education IT Security Study point to a clear need for a security solution that effectively balances cost, time management and superior protection.”

While schools have baseline IT security best practices in place, there is still room for improvement. Ninety percent of schools install anti-virus and/or anti-malware on computers, but nearly 25 percent fail to use firewalls, block high-risk websites, or employ user authentication.

Social media is a top concern for schools, but the stringency of school policy varies greatly. Ninety-five percent of schools have a social media policy in place, citing the mitigation of malware-related risks as a main reason for implementation. Twenty-nine percent of schools allow students unlimited access to social media sites, while 32 percent denies students’ access altogether.