In 2023, there was a sharp increase in reported cases.

Well tadger, I’m not pulling your leg. Our Island schools in the dear ol’ Long Island area turned out to be a bit of a hotbed for computer kerfuffle in 2023. There was more than just a smidge of a climb in that frightening scenario of computer hacks and all those bothersome cyber incidents compared to the year before.

And do you want to know the corker? It seems it wasn’t just outsiders chancing their arm, but our very own people who made a hash of things! It’s a bit like tripping over your own feet, innit? I’ve got to tell you, it wasn’t just about causing general upheaval, it was a bit more serious than being caught with your trousers down. It exposed sensitive information, things that should’ve stayed hush-hush, such as personal details about pupils’ special educational needs and disciplinary matters.

Now, to set the record straight, the lovely folks down at the state Education Department filled us in with the grim details. Our Island schools weren’t in for a tuppence hapenny. They reported a wallop to the tune of 35 cyber incidents last year. If you want to get your knickers in a twist, that’s an increase of 52%, up from 23 incidents the prior year. That’s a proper jump, that is! No need to bring out your abacus to see that’s a bit hairy.

But wait, there’s more! This wasn’t just a one-off incident like a dodgy pint at the pub. It appears that this sort of malarkey has been a growing trend. In comparison to 2021, the 2022 figure was double the trouble. It’s the kind of trend we certainly wouldn’t want to be ahead of, innit?

So, what’s the takeaway here? Well, firstly, we’ve got a bit of a fixer-upper situation, haven’t we? Lot of work to do to keep our Island schools safe from these nasty cyber shenanigans. Without pointing any fingers, it seems like most of this trouble could’ve been avoided if we’d been a bit more nifty with our cyber hygiene.

On the flip side, however, it’s a loud wake-up call to place more focus on fortifying our cybersecurity defenses, and training our staff members to dodge these cyber potholes. We can’t just run off like headless chicken at the sight of a computer, now can we?

All in all, it’s clear we’ve got some serious, hard yakka ahead to buck this rather troublesome trend. It’s more than putting one foot before the other, it’s about doing our part to stop these cyber rotters in their tracks. Keeps one on their toes, this job does! But rest assured, us British folks aren’t known for backing down from a challenge, are we? Let’s roll our sleeves up and get to it, shall we?

by Parker Bytes