Problems with online security and privacy from student pranks to ransomware attacks are expected to only get worse as schools across the country shiftto full- or part-time virtual learning because of the coronavirus pandemic, experts warn.
Everybody needs to be really mindful about security right now, said Kutub Thakur, an assistant professor and director of the Cyber Defense & Security Program at New Jersey City University.
In the spring, disruptions by intruders who shared hate-filled and pornographic content became so common that a new term was coined for the cyber-invasions:Zoom bombing, named for the popular videoconferencing platform.
At least 20 of the citys roughly 50 schools were affected by the onslaught of inappropriate content, according to educators.
On Friday, the school district identified between five and 10 Paterson students who officials say may have been responsible.
If you have a public meetingwhere a password and link can be shared, that can cause problems, said Jaideep Vaidya, director of the Rutgers Institute for Data Science, Learning, and Analytics.
The most important defense measure schools can take, he said, was to continuously update software applications and use security features that control when people get admitted, who gets admitted, and what they are allowed to do.
Shafer also said the Passaic County Prosecutors Office would be notified about students who showed pornographic images in the virtual classes and the Paterson Police Department alerted about those whomade threats.
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