How can Schools Increase Security to Protect Private Student Records?

Schools handle numerous sensitive pieces of information about students and their families. Administrators must actively secure the data from unlawful disclosure by following laws, regulations, and ethical commitments.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which gives kids control over their educational data, is one of the statutes that the U.S. Department of Education is dedicated to upholding to protect students’ privacy. Schools, faculty, and employees must follow regulations governing internet safety and the protection of student data.

Data on students can easily be accessed thanks to technology. All student data must be strictly confidential to safeguard students’ rights, security, and dignity. Federal and state laws and regulations may have requirements governing the kinds of security measures that must be implemented concerning this data, but they might not list specific actions.

Unluckily, not all school districts might offer a more thorough analysis of those rules and regulations. As a result, particular precautions must be taken when protecting student data.

What is Student Data Privacy?

Student Data Privacy refers to the safeguarding of all information related to students, encompassing a wide range of data such as academic records, personal details, health information, and more. The primary goal of student data privacy is to ensure that student information protection is upheld, meaning that only authorized individuals or organizations can access or utilize this data, and solely for the specific purposes for which it was collected.

A comprehensive student data privacy policy is essential in educational institutions to define the rules and guidelines for handling, storing, and sharing student data. These policies are designed to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or breaches that could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of student information.

To maintain robust data security in education, federal and state governments have enacted a variety of laws and regulations. The U.S. Department of Education, for instance, has established stringent policies to regulate the collection, storage, and sharing of student data, ensuring that educational institutions comply with these standards. In addition, each state may have its specific regulations to further reinforce student data privacy.

These laws and regulations are critical to protect students’ personal information from being exploited for unauthorized purposes and to foster a secure educational environment where data security education is a priority. Educational institutions must remain vigilant and proactive in implementing and adhering to these privacy policies to safeguard the sensitive information of their students.

Why is Student Privacy Important for Schools?

A school’s policy on student privacy should include information about what can and cannot be recorded, how often cameras will be used, and how long data will be stored. Schools should also provide students with clear information about exercising their rights under the law when school officials or third parties violate their privacy.

Students who feel their privacy has been violated should have an avenue for recourse available to them through their school’s disciplinary process.

Because there are ethical and legal limitations on the acquisition, use, distribution, and treatment of student data, protecting student privacy is crucial. Press the Tab to write more…

• Make tailored adverts or email scam contact lists.
• Find the emails and other contact details of your family members.
• Grade adjustment for a student
• View private information that should be kept confidential, including prescription medicines and learning and physical problems

Therefore, protecting student privacy is essential to averting issues like these.

7 Security Practices to Protect Private Student Records

Let’s look at some strategies schools can do to safeguard students’ privacy better.

1.    Purge Unnecessary Student Records

Purge unnecessary student records from your system so hackers cannot access these accounts. This is important because if hackers manage to break into your network and steal data from student accounts, there is no way for you to know who accessed it or for what purpose.

2.    Establish Transparency with Laws and Guidelines

Another thing that schools can do is establish transparency with laws and guidelines. These rules vary from state to state but often include policies for how long students’ records can be kept and what they can be used for after graduating high school or moving away from their home state.

This type of transparency will help ensure that students’ rights are being protected and help clarify terminology when discussing matters with parents or teachers.

3.    Choose Who can Access the Data

Yes, in daily life, your data must be protected, but what would happen if you had an electrical problem, perhaps in the thick of an emergency? Do you have access to the files and registers of every student?

You can purchase an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) unit, allowing you to continue working or accessing your files while on the premises. Alternatively, you might want to think about how to go outside the building to access your records.

4.    Encrypt Data

Likely, schools will still need to keep some sensitive information about children and their parents after completing minimization and cleansing efforts. Careful security should be maintained for those records using a combination of technical and administrative safeguards.

Adopting robust encryption technology to safeguard the information that is either at rest saved on a server or device or in transit, being transferred over a network, is the most significant technical control schools can apply to information. Schools should recognize equipment that houses sensitive data and implement encryption at the file and disc levels.

5.    Train Your Staff

Accessing student data comes with much responsibility. A school system cannot rely on the fact that staff workers always know how to handle this information in specific ways. Employees must understand how to access information safely, how to use a breach reporting system, and what to do in the event of a breach.

6.    Carefully Manage Data

You ought to be aware of the information that each individual or company has access to. If you handle the data correctly, you can ensure that it is treated correctly. Publishers of textbooks, for instance, do not require student addresses or phone numbers.

The precise forms of data that are required must be synchronized. Automated bi-directional data sharing is necessary for many contemporary learning management systems and can give you finer control over the data you send.

7.    Create a Student Data Policy

Make a plan to regularly assess the organization’s data privacy requirements since data privacy is a never-ending process. Make sure the schedule is consistently updated. Learn the fundamentals of the data gathering, storage, and sharing procedures used by your company first.

Create procedures for handling any data produced by the Internet of Things gadgets. There are more gadgets, which means there are more online targets. Preventive actions can be helpful, such as limiting bandwidth access and ensuring that devices are correctly patched and segmented.

Student Data Privacy Problems and Challenges

Despite significant progress in student data privacy rules, many challenges remain to ensure complete data protection.

• Data Breaches and Security Risks- Schools store vast amounts of student information, including personal, academic, and health records. This makes them prime targets for hackers. Breaches can lead to unauthorized access, identity theft, and fraud, highlighting the need for robust student data privacy policies and a comprehensive data protection policy.
• Lack of Knowledge and Training- Many educators lack adequate training on data protection and privacy. Without proper security measures and understanding of digital tools, they may inadvertently share sensitive student information. Comprehensive data security education is crucial for protecting student information.
• Sharing Data with Third Parties- Edtech companies often collect and process student data. While many prioritize data protection, instances of sharing or selling student information without proper consent persist. This lack of control over data after it leaves the school poses significant privacy challenges, necessitating a strong student data privacy policy.
• Privacy Risks in Online Learning- The rise of online learning platforms introduces new privacy risks. Heavy reliance on third-party apps and cloud services raises concerns about data storage, encryption, and potential leaks. Strong security measures and careful selection of technology partners are essential to safeguard student data, in line with United States data protection laws.
• Profiling and Tailored Advertising- Using student data for profiling and personalized advertising raises ethical concerns. This practice involves privacy issues, lack of informed consent, and potential misuse of data. Balancing personalized education and student information protection requires careful consideration.

Effective student data protection policies and adherence to United States data protection laws are crucial in addressing these challenges and ensuring student privacy.

Conclusion

Schools must use discretion and prudence to prevent inappropriate use of student and family information. Several basic security procedures can help educational institutions maintain public trust.

As such, a college or university must follow specific federal and state laws when handling student information. However, these laws can be tricky, especially when sensitively handling student information. For instance, a school may be required to follow specific privacy laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when handling student information. However, there are particular ways you can work with a school to help ensure that their student information is dealt with in a manner that complies with FERPA laws. One way to do this is to work with a cybersecurity provider expert to protect student records.

Employing a professional IT solution, such as Protected Harbor, is the best way to handle your data digitally, monitor it, and safeguard student privacy. Rated by Goodfirms as the top cybersecurity and cloud service providers in the US, we have been protecting data for all industries, including schools, for the last two decades.

From anti-malware protection, ransomware protection, and identity and access management to threat detection and response, we have you covered. Our 24×7 tech team and proactive monitoring redefine security. Contact us today to get a free cybersecurity audit.

Can I Recover Lost Data from an Android?

We all typically have important data stored on our computers and smartphones. Most of us store that data locally, meaning you could lose everything if something were to happen to your computer or phone.

So, have you ever considered what would happen if all of your data was lost and you didn’t have a backup? What would you do?

Data loss is a big annoyance that wreaks havoc on the day-to-day operations of any information-based company. When essential data and documents go missing, your company will have to spend time and resources recreating or retrieving these files to fill the gaps left by the loss. While hard copies of information may be found, they may not be as up-to-date as their lost digital counterparts.

If you want to know how to recover lost data from your Android device without any backup, you’ve come to the right place.

Reasons for Data Loss

Data loss is a common issue when it comes to Android devices. Nothing can ensure the safety of your digital assets, no matter how diligent you are. Data loss can happen in various ways.

Data loss can be minor or catastrophic, depending on what was lost. Even in the best-case scenario, you’ll have to devote time and money to recover it during forensic data analysis.

The main reason behind the data loss is that people are not backing up their important files. Many reasons can cause data loss from Android devices. Some of them are listed below:

• Accidental deletion: Your files may get deleted accidentally when you press the delete button on your keyboard or by pressing the delete button on your device.
• Virus attack: If you have an infected device, it may result in data loss. It also includes damage to files due to a virus attack.
• Hard Reset: If you want to reset or clear all data from your android phone, you will lose all the app data and settings. So, in this case, there is no other way to recover deleted files from an external source like a computer or cloud storage.
• SD card malfunctioning: If your SD card gets damaged or corrupted, it can cause data loss from your device and laptops or PCs that use SD cards for storage purposes.
• Corruption of software: Data can be lost due to software crashes that request data. If the software fails while updating several files, some files may fail to save or update, resulting in their destruction.
• Power Failures: Sudden power outages may result in data loss by damaging hardware and causing the operating system to malfunction. Sometimes, computers cannot reboot, so they can’t access data. Suddenly increasing voltage (usually) can lead to data loss and damage to computer hardware.
• Damaged Device: If your android device gets damaged due to water damage or any other reason, all the data on it will be lost because of hardware failures.

Recovering Lost Data Without Any Backup

Losing important data can be a nightmare for any individual or business. While having a data backup is the best way to ensure you don’t lose your data, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you end up losing your data without any backup. Several common causes of data loss include power outages, human error, and hardware failure. However, you can still recover your lost data with the right tools and approach.

One way to recover lost data is by using the Windows File Recovery tool, which can recover deleted files from your computer’s hard drive, external storage, and even from flash storage. Another option is to check if your cloud storage services have previous versions of the file you lost. File-sharing services also have a trash bin where deleted files are temporarily stored, and you can retrieve them before they are permanently deleted.

Additionally, it’s important to note that different file types may have different recovery methods. For example, photos can be recovered by using specialized software.

Here are some options for recovering data from your Android device, regardless of how or why it was deleted.

Recovering Lost Data Using CMD

When you lose your data, the first thing you should do is try to find it on your device again. If you have not synced the device with Google Drive or another cloud service, you can use the CMD to locate it and lock it remotely.

Command Prompt (CMD) is a command-line interpreter built into Windows. It’s a powerful tool for troubleshooting and system administration, but it can also be used to recover lost files.

This method can only work if the battery has not been completely discharged or the phone has not been reset after losing the data. If these conditions are met, it’s worth trying this method before going ahead with other options.’

Get Back Data Directly from the Recycle Bin

If you have deleted a video or image file, it will be saved in the Recycle Bin. You can quickly get back such files using this method.

Steps:

1) Go to Settings> Storage & USB.

2) Tap on Internal Storage or SD Card, depending on where you want to look for your Recycle Bin.

3) You will see two options: ‘ Recycle Bin’ and ‘Clear Data. Tap on Clear Data to delete all data from that folder.

4) Go back to the previous page by tapping the Home button and then tap on the Recycle Bin option again. When you open the folder, all deleted files will be displayed there, along with other files that were not deleted earlier.

Deep Scan

It would help if you first tried to connect your phone to a computer and open its storage location through a file explorer. If you find the deleted data there, it’s easy to restore it by copying or moving the files to your computer. If not, try performing a deep scan on your phone using third-party software.

Use Recovery Software

To recover your lost data, you can use the Android Data Recovery tool, which can help you easily recover all types of data from your Android quickly.

Data recovery software is designed to recover lost files from storage devices like hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, etc. The main advantage of this software is that it can recover files from formatted drives. This means that if you have accidentally formatted your hard drive or memory card, then it will still be able to retrieve all the lost files from them.

There are many options available in the market. Still, before buying, anyone makes sure that it supports all the latest versions of android devices and has a sound customer support system.

Final Verdict

Every user has experienced data loss in a variety of ways. When you accidentally delete pictures or videos from your device’s storage or your essential company data gets lost, you feel like it’s the end of the world. But there’s no need to worry because you can get all your data back if you follow our best practices.

Data safety and security have become a top priority for every company within the fast-paced business world where everything is done digitally. With data storage, recovery, and backup solutions from Protected Harbor, you can be assured your data is secure.

Our mobile security keeps your employees connected and productive while protecting sensitive data and company assets. Network security ensures reliable, high-speed connections for your employees and guests while safeguarding your network from outside threats. Data security and isolated backups protect your organization’s most critical asset — its data — from internal and external threats and fast recovery to keep your business up and running.

With the right approach, you can retrieve your lost data.

Contact our data experts today to learn about data safety and security procedures and how we keep your data backed up and always accessible in an emergency.

How do I Recover Lost Data?

Despite the apparent stability of modern computers, businesses and consumers continue to lose critical data. Even the most costly, high-quality hardware and trustworthy software can’t ensure that your PC or laptop will never fail. Data loss is the inability to access data at its regular location via a standard program due to software/hardware failures or user errors.

For organizations of all sizes, data loss is a significant issue— losing files means losing time and money trying to restore or recover critical information for your operation. Data loss occurs when data is accidentally destroyed or tampered with. People and software can make data illegible owing to infections, physical damage, or formatting issues. The loss of documents and files can have a long-term financial impact on your company.

Common Causes of Data Loss

Computer users have a wide range of options for storing their data. However, the more convenient a choice is, the more likely it is that you could lose your data. Here are some of the most common reasons why data is lost.

1. Human Failure

Human error is a leading cause of data loss, especially when backing up your data. Many people forget to back up their data or don’t know how to do it properly — and then wonder why they lose it all.

2. Hard Drive Failures

There are several reasons why hard drives fail or crash. One of the most common is age – as hard drives get older, they become less reliable and more likely to crash or fail. Another reason could be a power surge during a storm or other natural disaster that damages your computer and files. Any important documents stored on your computer could be permanently damaged beyond repair if this happens.

3. Malware Infection

When malware infects your computer, it can cause damage to your files as well as those belonging to your business organization. The most common type of malware is ransomware (such as Locky), which encrypts all files on your computer, making them inaccessible until you pay a ransom to the hackers who infected them in the first place!

4. Software Corruption

This is the most common cause of data loss. Software corruption can be due to a virus, a power surge, or even an incorrect installation. Sometimes, it’s simply because you’ve been using your computer for too long, and it’s time for an upgrade.

5. Theft

Whether it’s theft by a person or the server, it can quickly be taken away from you if your data is not protected. You might think this is unlikely to happen to you, but the truth is that if someone wanted your files bad enough, they would find a way to get them. This cause is on the rise. In 2020, there were 1001 data breaches in the United States. Meanwhile, over 155.8 million people were affected by data exposures in the same year, defined as the unintentional disclosure of sensitive information owing to inadequate information security.

6. Computer Viruses

Computer viruses are explicitly designed to destroy valuable information and render computers useless. If a virus gets into your system undetected and isn’t removed quickly enough (or at all), it can wreak havoc on your hard drive and destroy your files without warning!

7. Natural Disasters

Natural disasters can also cause data loss if your computer isn’t protected against them by a reliable backup service. A fire or flood could destroy your computer equipment and damage any hard drives stored inside it, causing you to lose your precious data forever if you haven’t backed up recently.

Recovering Lost Data

If you’ve ever lost your data for any reason, you know how frustrating it can be, and it’s even more frustrating when it’s something you’ve been working on for days, weeks, or even months. Thankfully, deleting a file isn’t necessarily the end of the world. Here are some ways through which you can recover your lost data.

●  Recover Deleted Files from the Recycle Bin

If you’ve accidentally erased something, you should first check the Windows Recycle Bin. Windows do not attempt to delete a file when you select it and press the Delete key (or right-click and choose the Delete option from the menu).

It instead sends it to the Recycle Bin, which has its desktop icon. Double-clicking on the desktop icon to view the contents, then right-clicking on the file and selecting Restore from the menu makes restoring a file from the Recycle Bin a breeze.

●  Retrieve Deleted Files with any Third Party Software

If you deleted files and later realized that you needed them, then use third-party software to retrieve deleted files. Much free software is available online to help you with this task. But they will not be able to recover all types of files. Some only work for images, music, videos, and other multimedia files, while others can recover documents, emails, and much more.

●  Recovering Data from a failing SSD or Hard Drive

After debunking the fallacy that deleted and corrupted files are lost forever, we now focus on the problem every PC user fears: hard disc failure. This might appear in various ways, but in general, Windows will refuse to start, even in Safe Mode, and turning on your computer may result in unwanted clicking noises. As a result, you risk losing not just a handful of your most important data but the entire contents of the drive.

Hard discs are frequently suggested to be repaired by placing them in the freezer. While this has been known to work in the past, bringing the drive back to life long enough to extract the most crucial files, it only works for particular faults.

●  Using Backups to Restore

Backups are an excellent safeguard for your important files and will come in handy if you experience data loss. You may be able to restore your lost files by utilizing backup media if you follow best practices and make frequent backups of your data. This means that backups are created between when the files are first loaded onto your computer and when they are deleted.

Final Words

The truth is that it is possible to restore deleted data. However, the success of recovering deleted files will depend on many factors. The first factor is how recently the files were deleted. Another factor affecting restoring your data is whether the file system was formatted before or after deletion. And yet another factor to keep in mind is whether the hard drive has been overwritten with new data.

If you need help with data backup, recovery, and management, or you need assistance putting procedures in place to protect your data and maintain business continuity. Call in the experts. Call Protected Harbor. Our enterprise-grade isolated backup and data recovery services are unparalleled in the industry. We understand the importance of data and have helped numerous companies retrieve their data. Not only recovering data but making it secure is also our main focus so that you never have to think about your data.

Protected Harbor can assist you by providing skilled specialists who can design and implement your desired solutions. We test your infrastructure for the leak points with pen-testing and vulnerability testing, ensuring regular backups and restore services. Want to know how we do it? Book a free IT Audit today.

12 Common Reasons Why Your Data Gets Lost

Have you accidentally deleted an important work file or maybe even lost your precious vacation pictures from this past year with your family? These unfortunate events can be devastating, and we have all experienced the feeling of dread that comes along with losing a file. The loss of data is not usually the result of external attacks. All it takes is one negligent employee’s activity or a simple technical failure to wipe out all your essential data.

To choose a recovery method, you must understand how and why data is lost.

Common Reasons for Data Loss

Here are some common reasons for data loss.

1. Hardware Failure
   Hardware failures can lead to data loss in many ways. A hard drive crash is the most common type of hardware failure, but other types can also result in data loss. For example, a power surge or lightning strike could damage your computer’s motherboard or circuit board. If your computer doesn’t have a surge protector, it could be damaged by a power outage or brownout (a voltage drop). It’s also possible that a virus or other malware could damage your computer’s operating system or corrupt files on any attached storage devices, such as USB drives.
2. Software Corruption
   The operating system’s or applications’ corruption can cause file system damage and lost data. This is often a result of bugs or viruses that corrupt your data files. These bugs are typically found in software programs or drivers used to run your computer’s hardware.
3. User Error
   User error is another prevalent type of data loss, especially among home users who don’t understand computers very well. Education and training are the best ways to prevent this data loss. If you have a friend who doesn’t know much about computers but wants to learn, get involved in backing up their important files so they understand why it is essential for them to do so.
4. Malicious Action
   If you have sensitive company or personal information stored on your computer, you must ensure that no one else has access to your machine. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. If you’re not careful, someone could hack into your device and delete files without you knowing about it until it’s too late. This is especially true if you use public Wi-Fi hotspots and don’t protect yourself with a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A hacker could quickly gain access to your computer and steal any sensitive information.
5. Overwriting Data
   For the computer to store information, it needs a way to write on the hard drive and keep track of where everything is located so it knows where to find it later. When you delete files, they aren’t erased from the disk until you overwrite them with new data. If you don’t overwrite them with new data, they remain on the disk until they’re overwritten by something else — which could be years later! If someone gets their hands on your computer when there’s still old data on the disk waiting to be overwritten, they could recover that old information in some instances.
6. Accidental Deletion
   Accidentally deletion occurs when people try to remove files from their computers but delete them by mistake. This often happens when trying to remove malware or other unwanted programs that have infected their computer systems. Even if they think they’ve deleted all traces of the infection, they might be mistaken; certain types of malware are designed to hide until they cause further damage to your system.
   
7. Hacker Attacks and Data Theft
   Data thieves use sophisticated techniques to get their hands on information they can sell or use themselves. This includes using malware to infiltrate your system, stealing passwords and other login credentials, or gaining access by posing as an employee or contractor. These attacks can cause significant damage, so you must take steps to secure your data and protect against them as much as possible.
8. Viruses and Malware
   Viruses and other malicious software (malware) can completely corrupt or delete your files. Viruses can also infect your computer’s operating system, leading to other problems. Contact a professional immediately if you suspect your device has been infected with a virus or other malicious software.
   Protected Harbor can protect your business from infection from ransomware, viruses, useless subscriptions, phishing attacks, and end-user problems, making your IT as strong as Protected Harbor does your business.
9. Accidents Involving Fires and Explosions
   Explosions are uncommon, but fire will almost certainly utterly destroy your computer and any data stored on it. The backups kept in the same residence are likewise at risk from fire. For example, having weekly backups on an external hard drive held in the same building won’t assist much if the building burns down. The computer and the backup disc will be destroyed in this instance, and all data will be lost. Making regular backups and keeping them in other (different) locations is the safest strategy against fire.
10.   Power Failures
    A sudden power outage could cause your computer to lose data if it was writing an update when the power went out. This can be especially problematic if you’re storing all your data on one drive because there will be no duplicate copies stored elsewhere. Other causes include faulty batteries or power surges that cause damage to hardware components.
11.   Memory Corruption
    A bug in your code causes an unexpected result that might corrupt memory, leading to problems with reading or writing data stored in memory.
12.   Liquid Damage
    Water or any other liquid getting into your computer or digital device can cause permanent damage and make it impossible for you to re-access your files. For example, most hard drives will not be able to read the information on a damaged platter, even if the rest of the campaign is still working fine. If you spill water on your laptop while it’s running, there’s a good chance you’ll lose all of your data because moisture can cause corrosion inside your laptop’s internal components.

Final Words

As it turns out, data loss can happen in several ways, but there are steps you can take to minimize the chance of this happening to you. It’s always important to make regular backups of your information—never keep all your eggs in one basket. Also, remember to secure sensitive information correctly especially if you’re dealing with sensitive data.

Protected Harbor enables you to store data in multiple locations and ensure that your data is safe in case any location is affected by a critical disaster. It also keeps your data protected by monitoring and securing it from viruses and other malicious software. This solution also enables you to set up a disaster recovery plan so that your business does not incur any loss of data.

Above, we have listed the most common reasons as to how and why you can lose your data; you need to be proactive and take the proper measures to secure your data. Consider partnering with a data expert like Protected Harbor. We understand that data is important; that’s why we help you keep it safe.

Get free data penetration testing, including hardware check, and Protected Harbor today.