How to boost cyber security at your childcare service today
Boosting cyber security at your childcare service may not seem like an urgent matter. But that can be a dangerous approach. With October being Cyber Security Awareness Month, now’s the perfect time to examine cyber security at your childcare service.
Research by Australian cyber security firm Kaine Mathrick Tech suggests that 43% of cyber attacks go after small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). SME businesses tend to have fewer cyber security measures in place, making them easier targets. When you need to keep sensitive child data safe, this isn’t a risk you can afford to take.
And while Australian businesses are targeted by cybercrime every 10 minutes, it’s not all terrible news. There are simple, easy things you can do at your childcare service to avoid being a cyber attack victim. Even better, you can do these things yourself without the need for outside assistance. The more measures you put in place, the more challenging you’ll make it for hackers. This increases the likelihood they’ll move on to an easier target.
Knowledge is power—educate your staff about cyber security at your childcare service
The best (and cheapest) thing you can do to improve cyber security at your childcare service is to educate your staff. This should start with a cyber security policy for your service that you share with all staff. You can even include a cyber security checklist for staff to follow in different situations, including:
- Creating new user accounts for new educators/staff members
- How to properly deactivate accounts when staff members leave your service
- How to report suspicious activity or emails
- What to do in the event of a cyber attack
Simply drafting a cyber security policy will help you focus on areas for improvement at your service. You should also set a reminder to regularly review your cyber security policy and update it when necessary. Making your cyber security policy accessible to educators is easy if you create it in Xplor Education’s educator platform, Playground. Playground makes it easy to share your cyber security policy with educators (and families, if you like), especially after it’s been updated.
When did you last update your operating system or childcare management software?
Contrary to popular belief, updating your Windows or Mac operating system (OS) is rarely about new functionality. Then why are you constantly being notified of updates that need to be installed? In a word—security. Hackers find vulnerabilities in operating systems and software platforms. They then determine how they can exploit these vulnerabilities to access sensitive information. Software developers become aware of these vulnerabilities exploited by hackers and improve the OS or software to close those vulnerabilities. For the same reasons, it’s vital that you regularly update your childcare management software. You should do the same for any other software you regularly use at your service.
Whether it’s an update to your computer or phone OS or software you use daily, you can better protect yourself by keeping your devices and platforms updated with all the latest updates or patches. Ignoring these updates can leave you more susceptible to attacks. If a mechanic informed you that your door locks were faulty, would you roll the dice and just “hope” no one broke into your car while you were shopping? Or would you get them fixed and go shopping in comfort?
Speaking of locking doors, it’s crucial that you and your service staff are also in the habit of locking your devices. Leaving your computer or phone unlocked is more convenient if you access it multiple times throughout the day. But it’s also much more convenient for someone to gain access to your device. It only takes a few minutes to access and steal sensitive information. Depending on your device, facial recognition or scanning your fingerprint can make unlocking your device quick and simple. This simultaneously makes it much harder for others to access your device.
Cyber security at your childcare service—it’s your duty to keep child data safe
Under Quality Area 7 of the National Quality Framework (NQF), childcare services are tasked with the safe storage of child data. These requirements are in addition to the rules and regulations for data privacy outlined in the Privacy Act 1988. Along with measures you can take to protect your service, look for childcare management software that prioritises cyber safety. Xplor Education has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to protect childcare service data with bank-level security. We strive to help you keep children safe—and that includes protecting sensitive child data.
For more tips on boosting cyber security at your childcare service and to learn more about how Xplor Education helps keep your data safe, check out our free Cyber Security for ECE guide.
Dean Comeau
Marketing Team Lead
