Web security product firm SmoothWall is urging schools to improve their online protection following a national survey which found that secondary students are at greater risk than ever.
Some 85pc of the school IT staff who took part in SmoothWall’s survey said that Internet abuse was now the number one IT problem for schools, with 70pc of respondents pointing to ShadowSurfing (also known as anonymous proxy abuse) as the single biggest threat to pupil safety online.
The term ShadowSurfing refers to the act of using a web-based tool or online community to bypass web filters in order to access banned material. By using programs like UltraSurf an increasing number of students are breaking through school security and masking their illicit surfing behind legitimate web addresses. Where browsing is uncontrolled, children are not protected and schools are powerless to stop cyberbullying and other Internet misuse. Some proxy tools also help Trojans, worms and other malware to sneak into school networks undetected.
Although ShadowSurfing was the biggest perceived threat, 68pc thought that online image searches and the use of peer-to-peer software to download music or content were also major problems. In addition, 52pc of school IT staff said their budgets were simply not sufficient to cover their schools’ needs.
SmoothWall’s product manager Tom Newton commented: “Web filtering in schools is not just about stopping pupils from poking their Facebook friends when they should be studying – but about creating a safe space where children are not threatened by online predators or exposed to unsuitable content. Administrators should be asking themselves if their content filter screens secure traffic for the characteristic usage patterns that are inherent in ShadowSurfing products.”
“Schools need to understand that students are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their browsing attempts and most are now able to bypass basic content filtering products in order to access materials or information they require. We have worked with the education sector for years now and provide a range of products that meet the specific needs of schools such as our School Guardian product,” added Newton.
Due for release next month, the latest version of School Guardian includes ‘mobile filtering’ for laptop users, improved search term blocking and reporting, and more visibility and control over SSL-encrypted proxy sites and applications.
