Making educators’ digital privacy and safety easier on World Teachers’ Day

“Teaching is not just a job. It is a human service, and it must be thought of as a mission” - Dr. Ralph Tyler

On Oct 5, the global community gathers to celebrate World Teachers’ Day, an international event commemorating the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets standards regarding rights and responsibility of teachers.

The 2022 theme, “The transformation of education begins with teachers,” calls for international awareness of the rapid technological changes and crucial role that educators have played during the pandemic and beyond, as “engines at the heart of our education system.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the school system has been under heavy fire from malicious actors. As the internet continues to intrude in the lives of both teachers and students, it has become imperative for educators to integrate proper cybersecurity etiquette into their day-to-day activities.

While parents and students come together to give thanks to the wonderful educators that help inspire and mold future generations, our aim is to help teachers navigate the digital scape by offering the best cybersecurity practices to help ease into the new school year and ensure the safety of personal information, whether participating in in-person or remote learning sessions.

Here are Bitdefender’s top security tips to ensure a safe and malware-free school year for teachers around the globe:

1. Keep your devices and smart devices up to date at all times

2. Install a security solution on all devices that will be used during classes (whether distance learning or in the physical classroom)

3. Make sure your software, including any school tools and platforms, are up to date as well. This will help you avoid security or network risks.

4. Encrypt and make backup copies of all your data often. This is crucial if your institution requires the storage of student data.

5. Stick to good password management and ensure you never repeat the same combinations of credentials on online platforms and websites. Never use your phone number, name or date of birth in the password.

6. Activate two- or multi-factor authentication to help secure accounts against hacking attempts

7. Never share too much info on social media. Make your accounts are private or accessible to a limited audience and ensure that your email address and phone number are not publicly visible

8. Don’t click on anonymous links you receive via email, text or message on social media as they are among the most common ways to compromise accounts, devices and your finances

9. Ensure that your webcam is protected in and outside of the classroom. Bitdefender security solutions offer dedicated webcam protection to ensure that no malicious program or individual can hijack your camera to film you or your classroom.

More than 100 nations celebrate World Teachers’ Day globally.

Be cybersavvy on #WorldTeachers’Day, and protect your digital belongings with a Bitdefender all-in-one security plan. You can fend off phishing and nasty internet threats while benefiting from unlimited VPN traffic, a password manager, and identity theft protection (for US only) to stay on top of data breaches and stop fraud attempts.

If you want to give thanks to that special teacher in your life, surprise them with one of our Bitdefender security solutions to ensure their digital safety and privacy year round.