WatchGuard offers 5 tips for tackling the growing cyberbullying issue in education
WatchGuard responds to parents, educators and IT professionals need to create a united front against cyber bullying
LONDON – 22 January, 2015 — With Bett 2015, the leading education technology event in full swing, WatchGuard® Technologies, a leader in multi-function firewalls, reveals its top tips for protecting students from cyber bullying.
According to the latest figures by nobullying.com, 68 per cent of teens agree that cyber bullying has now become a serious problem in schools. This is exacerbated by the fact more than half of young people admit they never confide in their parents when cyber bulling happens to them.
Cyber bullies exploit vulnerability – the vulnerability of security systems, the vulnerability of information and the vulnerability of the victims themselves. To prevent what can be life-destroying harassment, WatchGuard proposes parents, educators and IT professionals work together to create a united front.
Here are five tips for institutions looking to tackle the growing cyberbullying issue in education.
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Control student access to apps
Students will want access to all their favourite apps, but these can provide a platform for bullying and expose security weaknesses. Apps must be monitored and controlled to protect the students who use them and limit the amount of bandwidth being taken by more media-rich functions such as video sharing.
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Ensure you can filter encrypted content
The rise of SSL protocols is a natural product of the need to securely connect devices to the internet. In instances of cyberbullying or malware however, HTTPs traffic can reduce visibility and create security risks that cannot be filtered by conventional searches. Make sure you have the right systems in place to inspect this encrypted content and uncover more advanced network attacks.
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Segment your network and see threats clearly
Effectively separating networks that contain confidential information from those openly accessible to students is key to protecting data - particularly when considering the rise in bring your own device (BYOD). Increase visibility of where your network traffic is coming from and safeguard segregation by requiring authentication and enforcing security policies.
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Be aware of current trends
IT departments need to know which social media sites and applications are currently popular with their students. This information can be gathered from looking at internet traffic, reading industry and student-focused publications, as well as visiting social media sites themselves.
Once you have identified the browsing patterns, keep in mind that today’s youth are more computer literate than many adults and some will try anything they can to get around restrictive security measures. As students attempt to find workarounds, keeping on top of the latest security and hacking issues can make all the difference in protecting your network.
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Create a united front through awareness programmes
Cyber bullying can happen anywhere at anytime. Making sure that everyone involved in students’ lives is aware of what bullying looks like, its effects and how to prevent it, is essential. Awareness campaigns can involve posters, meetings and workshops.
“In an age where even the youngest students now access online content and the consequences of cyber bullying become increasingly serious, the need to protect children and young people has never been greater,” says Jonathan Whitley, WatchGuard Northern Europe territory director. “At WatchGuard we are committed to protecting internet users from illegal, immoral or harmful actions. Any device can instantly become a target today, which means online security must be responsive to the needs of every individual. By providing educators with the visibility they need to quickly distil where threats are coming, they can get into action in real time to protect today’s students on their premises and beyond.”
Working to address the growing cyberbullying issue at its root, WatchGuard delivers effective defence-in-depth for email and web.
Teamed with the WatchGuard’s unfied threat management and next generation firewalls award-winning network visibility solution, WatchGuard Dimension, organisations immediately benefit from a suite of big data analysis and reporting tools that identify and distill key network security threats, issues and trends. Easy-to-use, they protect against spam, viruses, compromised websites, blended threats, and network attacks.
For more information on how Watchguard’s solutions have helped protect students online, please visit the following pages to view their work with Leeds College and Sevenoaks School.
Notes to editors
About Bett
Bett is the world's leading learning technology event and has been bringing innovation and inspiration to the education sector for over 30 years. Join more than 35,000 of your peers, at ExCeL London 21-24 January.
Learn more at www.bettshow.com
Cal Young
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
+44 (0)20 7403 8878
About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader of integrated, multi-function business security solutions that intelligently combine industry standard hardware, best-of-breed security features, and policy-based management tools. WatchGuard provides easy-to-use, but enterprise-powerful protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Wash. with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.
For additional information, promotions and updates, follow WatchGuard on Twitter @WatchGuardUK, on Facebook, or on the LinkedIn Company page.
WatchGuard is a registered trademark of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. All other marks are property of their respective owners.
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