Safeguarding

An Introduction to Cyber Security

Know a phishing email, a planted USB stick or a smooth-talking caller when you see one, before they get anywhere near your school's data.

  • 34 minutes
  • 6 modules
  • 0.5 CPD hours
  • Certificate

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14 days free, then £70 a year or £7 a month.

What you'll learn

  • Check a suspicious email's sender, wording and links without clicking anything
  • Recognise social engineering calls that use names and details found online
  • Explain why a found USB stick or cable should never go near your computer
  • Build a strong password from a phrase you can remember
  • Lock devices when you step away and report concerns to your IT team

About this course

Schools hold a lot worth stealing: pupils' health records, parents' bank details, staff pay, even exam papers. Plenty of attacks don't need any technical skill. They work because someone clicked a link, plugged in a cable they found on a desk, or believed a caller who knew the head's name.

You'll see what those attacks look like in practice. Two real phishing emails are taken apart clue by clue, from the sender's address to the link you can check without clicking. You'll find out why a phone charging cable can give a stranger full access to your computer, and why pupils poking around the network can be as much of a risk as anyone outside.

After that come a few everyday habits, such as a password built from a phrase you'll remember, locking your screen whenever you step away and knowing how to report anything odd to your IT team.

  • For early career teachers, governors and 7 other roles. All phases.

6 modules

Open in order

  1. Who would attack a school, and why?

    5 min
  2. Understanding threats from outside the school

    7 min
  3. Understanding threats from Inside the school

    7 min
  4. How to defend yourself and your school

    11 min
  5. Wrap Up

    1 min
  6. An Introduction to Cyber Security

    6 min