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Schools lack the resources to defend against cyberattacks, cyber expert says

On Flashpoint, an expert says a "perfect storm" of factors makes schools vulnerable.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As school districts prepare for the first day of school, cyber security experts warn them that they are woefully unprepared to protect themselves from cyberattacks.

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"School districts are challenged with resources," Doug Levin, the co-founder and national director of the K12 Security Information eXchange, said on WCNC's Flashpoint. "They don't always have enough money to put in place the protections they need."

Levin said there's a "perfect storm" of factors that make schools an easy target. They have ample money and data but often lack the technological safeguards other big organizations use.

"They don't have the technology of banks, or credit card companies, or even hospitals and health systems," Levin said.

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Levin said cyber thieves have stolen teacher and student data that has been used to conduct credit fraud, tax fraud, and identity theft.

"They'll also scam school districts out of millions of dollars or may cause damages that require millions of dollars of new investments," Levin said. "And those are investments that didn't don't go into the classroom, right? They don't directly benefit the student."

Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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