Australian schools could soon join global counterparts as lucrative targets for cyber criminals, according to Australia's first National Cyber Security Coordinator Air Marshall Darren Goldie.
Speaking at a National Australia Bank (NAB) event, Goldie stated that cyber criminals were increasingly viewing schools as soft targets, comparable to vulnerable small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs).
“If you consider the profile of a school, they are the same exact size of a successful medium-sized business, with a couple of thousand individuals all carrying personal devices with personal information connected to a school network,” said Air Marshall Goldie.
“They are small enough not to have full-time cyber security teams and generally don’t have the resources for a 24/7 threat response partner."
The trend of cyber attacks on educational institutions is already evident in the US, where First Lady Jill Biden has spearheaded an initiative to bolster cyber security in schools.
Not isolated attacks
Air Marshall Goldie further explained that these weren't isolated attacks by lone actors but were carried out by global transnational groups.
These groups are known for targeting households, governments and particularly vulnerable communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.
NAB chief security information officer Sandro Bucchianeri highlighted that around 40% of SMEs, including schools, lacked comprehensive training in cyber security.
Dr James Curran, CEO of Grok Academy, emphasised that while students themselves were not primary targets, they could inadvertently become conduits for cyber attacks.
This underscores the urgency for schools and SMEs to upgrade their cyber security measures, as they not only represent a significant part of the economy but are also integral to the community’s overall security.