To kickstart Cyber Security Awareness Month, Choate’s Information Technology Services (ITS) department is taking strides to improve the community’s online safety.
Although only the month of May has been officially designated as Cyber Security Awareness Month, online safety is an ongoing issue for ITS. As the world becomes increasingly digital, being careful during online interactions is essential to personal and school safety. The department therefore set forth to improve the community’s ability to differentiate between harmful and harmless emails, and increase overall cyber security awareness.
In collaboration with Director of Operations Mr. Bill Wright and Ms. Heather Lafontaine from the Financial Office, Director of ITS Mr. Andrew Speyer is spearheading initiatives for cyber security. This year, all students, faculty, and staff will be participating in these initiatives, including a program called KnowBe4, a security awareness training platform that can simulate phishing by sending mock scam emails to community members, helping students manage cyber awareness.
“ITS has created a video with an introduction to types of hacker activity. It is posted on the website,” explained Mr. Speyer. “All faculty, staff, and students will be required to enroll in two short online courses from the company KnowBe4.”
The Library will also be collaborating with ITS to spread awareness about cyber security. Mr. Speyer added, “The Library is creating additional resources for anyone interested in learning more. We have a partnership between the Library, Mr. [Morgan] Harris, and IT to provide more help to students through the Library with expansion of loaner equipment, better service hours at the Library, and the hope to create a student-run “Genius Bar” in the Library.”
While this is a new initiative at Choate, members of the ITS department are confident that these programs should continue, especially as Choate increases its dependence on technology.
Mr. Speyer said, “This is the first time the School has engaged in a campus awareness program and our hope is to establish an annual focused period on this very important topic.” He further explained, “I have always advocated that the number one risk to the School is not an outside event requiring a lock down, it is the hacker trying to gain financial and sensitive data from our systems.”
These initiatives come from increased cyber security concerns in various communities, especially in high schools and colleges. Scams are of highest concern to both ITS and Choate’s administration. Mr. Speyer explained, “Prevention starts with education. The more people question the source and content of information the safer we become.”
Mr. Wright added to this sentiment, saying, “[Mr. Speyer] is trying to make us recognize the sender, where it’s coming from, and understand when to actually click on these links.” He continued, “It’s easy to click on these links with viruses embedded in them, and that can bring these viruses into our network.”
This issue is constantly on the minds of the ITS department, and not only in the month of May. As the world gets increasingly digital, being careful of who one interacts with is essential for personal and school safety. This program aims to improve the community’s ability to differentiate between harmful and harmless emails.
“Yes, we’re in Cyber Security Awareness Month, but this goes on all the time,” explained Mr. Wright. “There’s going to be a continual push to remind us to be careful with how we use our electronics.”
ITS’s strongest concerns lay in the amount of virtual connection Choate students, faculty, and staff have these days. Inside and outside the classroom, technology is weaved into all aspects of life, which increases vulnerability to hackers or predators online.
“The biggest indicator of potential cyber issues is the way we are so connected,” shared Mr. Wright. “Everything we do is electronic in some way, shape, or form. That comes with the increased possibility of an attack on us or the school.”
With all members of the Choate community participating in this initiative, most are grateful for the opportunity to learn without facing the actual consequences of hacking.
“It’s really easy for us normal people to click these seemingly trustworthy links and get a virus,” explained English teacher Ms. Amy Salot, “There’s no cost, and if I fall for it, it’s not going to actually give me a virus.”
Aisling Putnam ’24 added that everyone should improve their understanding of technology in today’s day and age, explaining, “With how much our lives revolve around technology, it’s so easy to get tricked into something and not even realize it.” She added, “It’s important for us to learn how to combat and prevent these things from happening to us.”
Mr. Wright summarized the importance of this newly added program, saying, “These new initiatives are a tacit reminder that we need to be very careful about what we’re doing and what we’re clicking on.” This program will be an important lesson for all members of the Choate community amidst the increasingly technological nature of our lives.
