In the UK, a large-scale campaign has been launched to protect educational institutions from cyber attacks. The National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), a part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, is offering schools a free service for protection against malicious programs and network threats. More information about the campaign can be found here.
Known as PDNS (Protective Domain Name System) For Schools, this system was developed by NCSC specialists in collaboration with Cloudflare and Accenture. It has already been successfully implemented in central authorities, emergency response services, and the UK Ministry of Defense.
The system operates by blocking connections to well-known malicious domains. The database of hazardous resources is compiled from various sources, including closed intelligence. It is capable of blocking access to a malicious domain within 30 minutes of detection.
The increased need for such protection is a result of the exponential growth in cyber attacks targeting educational institutions. Last year alone, 131 incidents involving ransomware programs in the education sector and children’s institutions were reported.
Preliminary statistics for the current year’s first half indicate that at least 47 schools have been attacked by ransomware programs, leading to the leakage of personal data. Among the affected institutions are schools in London, Western Sussex, and a specialized school for children with special educational needs in Lids.
The fact that attackers not only disrupt the operations of educational institutions but also expose confidential documents of at-risk students during extortion attempts is particularly concerning.
According to the British regulator, over a third of schools experienced cyber attacks during the last school year. In some instances, the restoration of normal operations took several weeks.
All educational organizations in Great Britain have the opportunity to connect to this protection system. To do so, they simply need to contact their DNS provider and request registration through Myncsc.