Students hacking into the school’s computers to change grades, access secure sections of school network, hijack the school’s website, post pornographic or hate content, or infect the computers with malware is not something unheard of. On the contrary, the threat appears to be growing as the kids continue to get more tech-savvy, even more so than the school staff and administration. Controlling the issue of students hacking into school’s computer system can be a steep challenge, but through collaborative efforts of school administration and parents, and with some help from tools such as security software and Internet monitoring software, it can be dealt with quite effectively.

Not a rare incident

Although kids’ online safety is still among the biggest concerns of both school and parents alike, the need to protect school computers from malicious students is becoming increasing hard to ignore. In December 2013, a group of Corona del Mar High School students learned how to hack school computers from a tutor and managed to break into the computers of staff to change their grades. This issue was only a reminder of a threat that has been around for years now. A couple of years back, the students at Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles had broken into the computers of four teachers with similar motives. There are a number of other schools that have faced a similar issue, but although the problem has long been identified, the break-ins into the school computers continue, indicating the lack of preventive and control measures.

proactive or reactive approach?

There are a lot of ways in which the administration can hold back the threat of hacking of school’s systems. The most basic and probably effective measure that can be taken is to ensure the installation of up-to-date security software on the computers. Furthermore, creating a separate network for teachers and students would bolster the defenses of sensitive areas even more. Setting ground rules for acceptable and unacceptable use of school computers, setting Internet access policies of school, and sharing these rules and policies with everyone from the staff to the students and even the parents is another measure that can play a substantial role in curbing the threat of malicious digital activities. The administration also needs to make sure that it addresses any misuse of school’s computers swiftly before significant damage is done. Efforts should also be made to teach kids about Internet safety and digital responsibility.

The crucial role of parents in threat mitigation

Even though schools have a handful of options available with them to combat the issue of hacking into school systems, their chances of complete success are remote unless the parents recognize, understand and play their part. The latter should learn about the Internet access policies of school and make sure their kids understand them thoroughly. Installing monitoring software on home computers and laptops can help parents ensure that their kids aren’t spending time on shady websites, learning the lore of hacking. 

Even though hacking into staff computers is not as common as cheating in schools, the issue is still serious enough for the school administration to give it due importance. Parents also need to view it as something far more grave than cheating, as it is nothing short of a crime and may lead the kids to other delinquencies.