Spam in schools

What is spam?

Spam is unwanted, unsolicited, and annoying content used for advertising, obtaining information, or spreading malware. It can arrive through emails, phone calls, text messages, social media, and more. While not always malicious, spam can be harmful, causing more than just annoyance. Examples include racist text messages targeting students or offensive and sexually explicit emails.

What forms does spam take?

Spam can take many forms, including:

• Inappropriate content: Messages designed to upset or shock the recipient, which may cause emotional harm or disrupt learning.

• Advertising: Unsolicited messages from organizations inviting you to buy their products. While not necessarily harmful, they can be a waste of time and space.

• Malware and phishing: Spam intentionally created to force users into taking harmful actions. This can include emails with malicious attachments or links to phishing websites.

• "Too good to be true" offers: Messages that seek to trick users into revealing personal information in exchange for fake prizes or benefits.

  
  

How does spam affect students?

Spam can negatively affect students in several ways:

• Alienation of populations: Spam may contain messages that discriminate against or exclude certain groups.

• Exposure to inappropriate content: Students may be exposed to disturbing content that they cannot process adequately.

• Disruption of classes: Students may become distracted and discuss the content of messages during lessons.

• Inbox bloat: Spam can fill inboxes with unnecessary messages.

• Exploiting naivety: Students may fall victim to financial or other scams due to their lack of experience.

• Threats and fear: Spam can include threats (such as bomb threats) that lead to school closures, disrupting learning and generating anxiety.

• Security breaches: Spam can be the starting point for ransomware attacks, which can result in learning losses, data breaches, and costly recoveries.

How can spam be prevented?

There are several tools and tactics to prevent spam in schools:

• Mobile Device Management (MDM): MDM helps ensure school devices are properly configured and secured by enabling device, user, and application tracking.

• Email filtering: This is crucial for preventing spam from reaching users. Filters can detect spam based on content, sender, or other attributes.

• Content Filter: Prevents access to malicious websites by blocking phishing links and other spam content.

• Security software: Prevents malware downloaded via spam from running and takes necessary action once it is detected.

• User Education: Teaching students and staff how to identify and respond to potential spam messages is crucial.

Implementation

• Jamf School: An MDM system designed specifically for schools, Jamf School makes device management easy and offers tools to help teachers manage distraction and spam issues in the classroom.

• Jamf Safe Internet: Provides network threat protection and content filtering to protect students from spam, malware, and phishing, even outside of the school Wi-Fi network. It also enforces settings like Google SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode.

Spam is an ever-evolving problem, so it's essential to implement robust security solutions and keep users informed about the latest spam tactics.

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