It’s probably the horror scenario: suddenly nothing works anymore. Your own page? Chopped! This happens to companies, organizations and private individuals more and more often. Although school newspapers are not among the preferred targets (as far as is known), some have already been paralyzed. In view of the flood of phishing emails out there, you can never be completely sure that you won’t be fished out as an accessory.
Fortunately, some attacks can be countered with simple tricks. However, which of these are practicable will look a little different in each editorial office. For example, some park their online newspaper on the school website – and above all have to rely on the skills of their school admins. Others host their website themselves. This offers more freedom, but also entails more obligations: for example, running regular updates and checking the validity of certificates.
That sounds banal, but it isn’t. Outdated software is one of the biggest gateways for attackers and viruses. And according to an info blog from the provider Host Europe, three out of four WordPress installations are considered outdated. WordPress, but also other open source systems, now offer automated updates. Additional protection is promised by various plug-ins that either block spam or disguise the website from attackers. However, the better ones often have to be paid for. Security is always a question of consideration – and never 100 percent achievable. But you can make it harder for attackers so that at best they lose interest.
The popular guest books and contact forms are also a potential source of danger. Hackers like to use them to get addresses. One possibility here is to add small captcha puzzles. This can be a series of images in which all cars have to be marked, or columns of numbers to be typed. Sometimes annoying for users, but a horror for spam bots.
And what if, despite all caution, nothing works in the end? Back-up copies are helpful – and easy on the nerves. In the worst case scenario, backups of system files and databases will bring the newspaper back online faster. This still means enough extra work, because, for example, items that were created after the last backup date have to be created again. But at least the big picture is saved.
Online help
In recent years, more and more school newspapers have dared to go online or publish their texts online in addition to the print magazine. An e-book from the Ministry of Education shows how this can be achieved. It sheds light on marketing, media law and text genres – and provides concrete shooting instructions for anyone who would like to add text and images to their own videos. More information is available at schuelerzeitung.bayern.de/schuelerzeitung-online.