Vic gov nears decision for AI-enabled monitoring on school networks

The Victorian government is set to choose between three AI-enabled monitoring tools “early this year” as part of a plan to improve the security of school networks.

Education minister Ben Carroll said that three tools “that monitor activity within school networks looking for things like ransomware and hacking” had been piloted by “around 15 schools” in the first half of last year.

The shortlisted tools were not named; iTnews has asked a spokesperson for comment.

“The final decision on which of the programs from the successful pilot will be implemented is expected early this year, with the new solution working alongside existing technology,” Carroll said in a statement.

Carroll said that existing systems at schools had shown effectiveness, identifying and stopping “more than 35,700 attempts to access school systems since 2021”.

He said that the new department-led monitoring solution, once selected, “will ensure systems are fit for purpose.”

Carroll said that the monitoring upgrade falls within a broader program of work known as ‘securing connected learners’, details of which are largely not in the public domain.

The program is intended to uplift “technology and digital services across Victoria’s more than 1500 government schools.”

The intent is for schools to adopt “centrally managed services for internet, systems access and security monitoring” and to adopt education-specific software from a catalogue “to minimise the use of unsafe technologies,” Carroll said.

School internet services will be protected with “cloud-based security controls”, and support would be offered from the department to schools to improve their cyber security governance.