Laptop Security in Education

Over the last decade, schools, colleges and universities have invested heavily in ICT to aid learning and deliver syllabuses in exciting, engaging and flexible ways. In fact, the latest ICT Provision and Use report by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) shows that in 2010 alone, there were 2.5 million computers in UK schools, and the majority of these were laptops.

Unfortunately, such a large number of expensive resources make educational institutions attractive to thieves. Often large, open-plan and accessible, schools, colleges and universities are prime targets for both organised and opportunist theft. Netbooks, laptops, iPads and iPod Touches are small and light, so they can be easily concealed and removed from a building if the effective security measures are not in place.

 

The Facts

Although simply spouting statistics will not make laptop theft disappear, examining data is important to put the sector’s problem into context.

So, what are the facts?

• In a list of the top places for laptop theft to occur, schools took the number one spot. Colleges and universities came in fifth place, according to data from computer tracking firm Absolute Software.
• Similarly, in a recent report by the Ponemon Institute, the education and research industries experienced the highest rate of laptop theft.
• Laptops containing sensitive and confidential data are the most likely to be stolen, according to the Ponemon Institute.

Laptop theft is clearly a very real and increasingly common issue for the UK education sector, but why should educators take IT security seriously?

 

The Problem

Although mobile IT theft is a problem for many areas of business and society, when laptops and tablets are stolen from schools, colleges and universities, there can be devastating consequences.

 
Not only does laptop theft cause inconvenience for educators and students that might be left without computer equipment, having ICT equipment stolen can be incredibly costly for educational institutions that are already on tight budgets.  Lost laptops can lead to increased insurance premiums if a school or college has to claim for its loss, and an establishment could even incur hefty regulatory fines; since April 2010, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has the authority to issue  monetary penalties of up to £500,000 to those in serious breach of the Data Protection Act.

What is more, laptop theft can seriously endanger pupils.  According to the Billion Euro Lost Laptop Problem, from the Ponemon Institute, laptops are most likely to be stolen if they contain confidential and sensitive information, and this is because their data will be worth more to a blackmailer than the devices could fetch on the open market. If a laptop containing the details or photographs of vulnerable children, these pupils’ safety could be seriously compromised, not to mention the reputation of the educational institution responsible for the loss.

 

Recurring Problem

Determining the exact reason for the recurrence of laptop theft is extremely difficult, and there are likely to be a number of  reasons contributing to the problem. Despite this, there are three factors that are often associated with data breaches within  the education sector:

Insurance misconceptions
Schools and colleges often mistakenly think that their insurance policy will cover the eventuality of laptop theft, but this is often not the case. Even if an insurer does pay out for a stolen computer, if the machine is not encrypted then its sensitive data will still be accessible to thieves and, potentially, blackmailers. What is more, large insurance claims could result in  increased premiums, negatively impacting upon an institution’s budgets. These misconceptions surrounding insurance policies are likely to be a significant factor contributing to laptop theft within the education sector.

‘It won’t happen to me’
It would be fantastic if we lived in a world where laptop theft did not exist, or at least did not affect decent and hardworking people. Although many educators would, understandably, like to think that laptop theft will not occur at their place of work, the reality is that anyone, and any organisation, can have a laptop stolen. Unfortunately, schools, colleges and universities are prime targets for mobile IT theft because of their size, open-plan design and sheer volume of expensive equipment. The fact that many education institutions consider themselves immune to the likelihood of laptop theft, and thus do not take the correct preventative security measures, is putting establishments at risk of having their equipment stolen.

 

A lack of advice
The ICO recently condemned Freehold Community School in Oldham for the loss of an encrypted laptop, but, at the hearing, it was revealed that the school’s Headteacher was unaware of the need to encrypt data. Freehold Community School is not alone, with many teachers unsure of the steps that they should take to keep their laptops and data safe.

 

Schools, colleges and universities can only be expected to protect their IT equipment if they know how to secure it. Although information surrounding IT security can be found online, very little of it is directly aimed at the education sector, suggesting that a lack of practical and specific security tips is directly linked to the increasing problem of IT theft within UK education.