A group of children in a classroom

Cybersecurity Services

Here at N4L we have a wonderful team of security experts who are dedicated to supporting schools and kura. The team is on hand to provide expert guidance on what you need to do to reduce the risk of any identified threats and vulnerabilities, and we can support you through a cybersecurity incident. We also proactively monitor the network and we’ll reach out if we discover any cybersecurity risks or issues at your school or kura.

We’ve enhanced our cybersecurity network services by integrating with the National Cyber Security Centre’s Malware Free Networks® service and Phishing Disruption Service™. This new threat intelligence capability allows N4L to quickly and efficiently block local or global online threats across the network in near real-time. Schools and kura automatically benefit from this new capability at no cost and without any action required.

While we’re here to support you, it’s super important that you also have broader security measures in place. That’s why we’re working with the Ministry of Education to help kura understand what they can do to improve their cybersecurity posture and better protect against online threats.

Let’s all work together to help keep your school safe.

Proactively monitor your school's network

Notify you of cybersecurity vulnerabilities or incidents

Support you to resolve identified risks or issues

Want to know more about what our cybersecurity services mean for you? Watch our video to learn how our team of security experts help keep an eye on school networks and can work with kura & their IT providers to improve security settings.
What are we looking out for?

Incidents

Types of incidents we can identify and notify you about include phishing (where cybercriminals attempt to trick you into revealing sensitive information or downloading malicious software), compromised email or login credentials, unusual or high risk remote traffic into your school’s network, or a device that’s infected with malware.

Vulnerabilities

Like a broken lock on your door, a vulnerability is something that has an exploitable weak spot. As part of our Cybersecurity services, we carry out regular scans of the network to see what might be accessible on the internet and if there are any potential security risks to schools or kura. If we see your school has serious vulnerabilities we’ll work with you to remediate them.

Exposed Services

This is not a vulnerability but rather an issue of best practice. We’ll help with overall improvements to network configuration, system firewall rules and email security to better protect you.

Threats and vulnerabilities

To better understand the different types of threats and vulnerabilities, see our illustration or watch our video. You can also watch the Te reo version here.

 

 

 

 

What happens if N4L discovers a threat?

If we discover your school is exposed to a threat that could put you at risk, we’ll notify you and your IT provider as soon as we can. We may contact you in different ways, depending on the threat level, urgency and action required. We’ll then work together to understand what actions need to be taken to mitigate the risk and support you with any remediations that may be needed.

If you don’t have an IT provider that’s ok! Our team can work with whoever you recommend is the best person for your school, or we can put you in touch with one in your area.

Advisories

We also provide security notifications called advisories. Advisories highlight the current cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities in Aotearoa that could impact your school, and offer guidance on how to mitigate their impact. If it’s critical, we’ll send the advisory to schools that we think could be impacted. Any active advisories can be viewed on our Alerts page.

What if there’s a vulnerability at my school?

If you hear from us about a potential risk, we encourage you to follow our advice to help protect your school’s network and ākonga. Our dedicated Security team constantly monitors the network and CERT NZ advisories for identified risks. If we discover a vulnerability that could impact your school we’ll be in touch and can assist you or your IT provider with remediation or mitigation of the risk. This will help reduce the risk of your school’s network being exploited.

What happens if an incident has already occurred?

Whether you discover an incident or we do, we’re here to help. If we believe your school has been impacted we’ll let you know.

Our team will be available to support you, your IT provider and other stakeholders (e.g. cyber insurance providers) as required, to help to investigate and remediate the incident. Afterwards, we’ll provide you with a detailed incident report.

What more can I do to protect my school?

Check your school is part of the Ministry of Education’s Risk Management Scheme. This includes cybersecurity insurance.
Sign up to Email Protection. This is available to help protect schools and kura from an increasing number of email-based cyber threats. It builds on your existing Microsoft or Google email service by adding an additional layer of security to block malicious emails before they enter school inboxes. And best of all it’s fully funded by the Ministry of Education.

Ensure our Safe & Secure recommended settings are enabled to provide a baseline level of protection.

Follow CERT NZ’s advice on other important steps you can take and critical controls you can implement in your day-to-day environment.
Check out the cybersecurity tips from the Ministry of Education.
Resources

Have questions?

Check out our FAQs on Support Hub to see if the answer you’re looking for is there. If not, please reach out to us – we’re happy to chat about what our cybersecurity service means for you.

A-Z of Cybersecurity

Have you been hearing some cybersecurity terms recently and you’re not sure what they mean? Our team has put together a handy list of terms so you have a one-stop shop of definitions.

Cybersecurity snapshot

Interested in understanding our cybersecurity Services at a high-level, where they fit into what we offer, and what they mean for your school? Take a look at our cybersecurity flyer to learn more.

Proactive cybersecurity support for schools
Read how our teams helped Richmond View School when they experienced a cybersecurity incident recently.
A school principle standing in front of a classroom full of children

If you have any questions, get in touch or see our dedicated cybersecurity section on Support Hub for more information.