, Aug 16, 2021 10:53:37 AM

Back-to-school cybersecurity advice for parents

Did you know that out of the 8.9 million enterprise malware reports that Microsoft had in the last 30 days that over 60% came from education? The next closest industry is business and professional services, at only 10%.

There’s no doubt that cybercrime is targeting vulnerable kids and schools. While 2020 changed the way that kids learn, cybercriminals have learned that schools are a lucrative source of personal data. The Washington Post reports that “student data can be more valuable than other types of personal information on the black market because children, who often do not have bank accounts or credit cards, are unlikely to notice the effects or signs of identity theft until later in life.” 

With nearly every state, city, and school using different formats for distance and/or in-person learning, it can be hard for teachers and school boards to create a defense against the constantly shifting attacks of cybercriminals. 

Administering cybersecurity is a big job. It includes establishing policy and procedures, providing training and support to students and staff, protecting systems against unauthorized access and changes, while also creating backup and recovery capabilities. Parents shouldn’t have to rely solely on schools to provide cybersecurity solutions. 

Why should you take your kid’s device security into your own hands?

1. You are carrying most of the risk

Chances are, you’ve (recently) paid for your kid’s school device. If they get hacked, it’s not just their privacy and online ID at stake, it’s your entire family’s finances and security.

2. You’re helping everyone else

Every device that a teacher or school doesn’t have to deal with makes the quality of education better for everyone. Teachers need to be focused on what they do best – teaching – not problem solving workarounds for kids’ hacked devices.

3. The hacker ate my homework

When kids lose access to school resources or the technical tools they need to complete projects, it negatively affects their learning in a big way.

4. Expert help makes it easy

Avast has the resources and expertise to make the difficult job of keeping your kids and family safe from malware, viruses, and hackers easy for you to manage.

We’re serious about helping families take their kid’s privacy and security into their own hands. During the back-to-school season, we’re taking 33% off a year’s subscription for our Avast Ultimate Security Suite that covers an entire family’s devices (up to 10) with antivirus, anti-tracking, device clean-up, and SecureLine VPN services. 

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Further reading:
Disruption, data theft and shutdowns in the education sector
Is your family ready for distance learning?
Back-to-school security tips for IT admins
6 steps for staying safe online when going back to school
Back-to-school cybersecurity 101

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Why use Avast? 

Avast offers advanced antivirus and anti-tracking privacy protection features that prevent malware while blocking stalkers and advertisers from following your family’s online activity. 

Avast Ultimate is a suite of everything you need to look after all your family’s devices in one easy-to-use service complete with tuneup and cleanup tools.

Check out our Back-to-School Sale to save on a year’s subscription of Avast Ultimate.