Considering a security vulnerability, schools are going to remove the software from kids' Chromebooks and iPads.
The Chromebooks and iPads utilized in Singaporean classrooms will no longer have a device management tool installed, following the remote wiping of 13,000 pupils' data by a cyberattacker.
The hack was a component of a larger cybersecurity issue that affected Mobile Guardian's device management customers worldwide. Mobile Guardian's technology is used for controlling access to certain apps and websites or amounts of screen time. The Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore has stated that it received information on Sunday night regarding some students' inability to access data and apps that were stored on their individual learning devices. Chromebooks and Apple iPad tablets were among them.
Additionally: the top 9 mobile security risks and how to prevent them After receiving the notification, Mobile Guardian looked into it and discovered a breach involving unapproved access to its platform.
The MOE stated in a statement on Monday that the incident had an impact on its clients globally, including consumers in Singapore.
The ministry further stated that initial investigations had shown that 13,000 students from 26 secondary schools experienced having their devices remotely erased by the offender; however, there was no proof that the students' files had been viewed unlawfully.
The MOE said that all iPads and Chromebooks will no longer have the Mobile Guardian app installed as a "precautionary measure." According to the ministry, "the attempts are underway to safely restore these gadgets to normal usage," and it is also thinking about "other mitigating measures" to control device usage at this time.
The most recent incident comes after another one that occurred last month, when students in a number of schools encountered problems connecting to the internet or saw error messages. According to MOE, Mobile Guardian made a setting error that resulted in the event that occurred in July.
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In april, the ministry of education announced that it had learned of an intrusion involving unapproved entry to the administrative interface of Mobile Guardian.
The portal had access to a variety of user data, including the name of the school, the time zone, and if the user was a family or a member of the school staff. It was used for administrative functions, such as offering technical help and account licensing.
At the time, MOE said that 122 secondary schools and five primary schools had their teacher and parent email addresses exposed due to a security breach. It added that a police report had been made and that Mobile Guardian had taken additional security measures, such as shutting down all of its administrator accounts.
In response to legislative questions about the security breach later in May, the Ministry of Education (MOE) declared that the Mobile Monitor management interface was unable to change the settings on the students' devices or link to other government IT systems.
