Teachers and administrators will be getting lessons on scams, including phishing simulations, and sample cybersecurity-related policies that the school system can use.
Bryan Phillips, chief technology officer for Hoover City Schools, called the need for the training "imperative."
"ThreatAdvice provided a turnkey package with an online learning management system that was easy to implement and utilize and other awareness options that will keep cybersecurity preparedness on the forefront of Hoover City School employees' minds," Phillips said.
A 2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report cited 455 cybersecurity incidents in the education sector last year. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Education issued a cyber advisory alert stating that K-12 school systems are facing new online threats involving student information.
Officials say criminals are seeking to extort money from school districts and other educational institutions on the threat of releasing sensitive data from student records. In some cases, this has included threats of violence, shaming, or bullying children unless payment is received.
"It's not just big businesses that are targets of cyber-attacks," ThreatAdvice CEO David Brasfield said. "Any organization or business that is responsible for a large amount or personal data is a target. And the more employees an organization has, the more potential entry points the bad guy has. That is why cyber education is so important for everyone."
©2018 Alabama Media Group, Birmingham Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
