How VPNs and Account Takeovers Impact School Cybersecurity – And How Cloud Monitor Helps
In our recent live webinar, Ask Us Anything: Solving K-12 Tech Teams’ Biggest Challenges, we gave attendees the chance to get real answers to their top pain points by submitting questions in advance. The session featured Bob Boyd, Chief Information Officer at Kettle Moraine School District, and was co-hosted by John Brigham, ManagedMethods Product Specialist, and Kayla Brown, Customer Success Specialist. Together, they tackled some of the biggest challenges facing school district IT teams today.
How VPNs and Account Takeovers Impact School Cybersecurity – And How Cloud Monitor Helps
In today’s cloud-based classroom, students are tech-savvy—and so are the threats that come with that. Among the most common challenges submitted by our registrants are students using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to bypass web filtering restrictions and the risk of account takeovers due to weak security practices or data breaches.
So how do IT administrators detect when something isn’t right? How can they distinguish between a student simply trying to access TikTok and a compromised account logging in from another continent?
That’s where tools that secure district Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 data like Cloud Monitor by ManagedMethods come in.
VPNs in Schools: More Than Just Bypassing Filters
A VPN masks a user’s IP address and encrypts their internet traffic, making it appear as if they’re accessing the web from another location. While VPNs can be used for legitimate privacy reasons, in K-12 environments, students often use them to:
- Bypass content filters and firewall rules
- Access blocked websites and social media
- Avoid detection by school monitoring tools
Cloud Monitor’s Login Analyzer helps IT teams detect this kind of behavior by flagging suspicious login activity. For example, if a student typically signs in from Colorado and suddenly logs in from India, or from an IP address associated with VPN services like ProtonVPN—that’s a red flag.
Spotting Compromised Accounts Before It’s Too Late
VPN use is concerning, but the bigger risk is malicious actors exploiting stolen credentials to take over district accounts. Once attackers get inside, they act as trusted users who can access sensitive data, student records, emails, and files.
Cloud Monitor alerts admins to suspicious login activity like multiple access attempts from geographically distant locations (in short timeframes) or logins through known proxy networks. As the example from the webinar shows, if a student appears to login from India at 8:00 AM, California at 8:45 AM, and back to India by 9:30 AM, it’s a clear indicator that something’s off.
Another red flag? Abnormal storage activity. If a student account is storing 7TB of data, it may be acting as a malware drop site or an unauthorized data stash—either way, it’s not typical student behavior.
After suspicious login activity is detected. Admins can:
- Suspend accounts temporarily
- Reset passwords
- Send user alerts or warnings
Using the Account Summary page, admins can dig deeper into individual accounts. Tools like the “Have I Been Pwned” integration help identify if a student’s credentials have been leaked in a known data breach. If so, resetting passwords isn’t just recommended—it’s urgent.
Policy Enforcement: Automating the Response
Another powerful component of Cloud Monitor is the Policies tab, which allows districts to automate responses to high-risk behavior. For instance, admins can create a policy that automatically flags or suspends any login that:
- Comes from outside the U.S.
- Is associated with a known VPN or proxy ISP
- Happens during odd hours, like late at night or early morning
These policies are customizable and work with real-time alerts, so staff are notified immediately when suspicious behavior occurs. Better yet, Cloud Monitor’s API-based approach ensures the same timing accuracy as Google’s internal systems—meaning districts don’t have to wait hours to respond to a breach.
Stop VPN-Based Logins Before They Become a Threat With Cloud Monitor
As students become more adept at using VPNs and other tools to bypass restrictions, school IT leaders must stay one step ahead. With platforms like Cloud Monitor, districts can do more than just track suspicious activity—they can act on it quickly and decisively.
From identifying VPN-based logins to suspending potentially compromised accounts, Cloud Monitor offers a complete toolkit for modern school cybersecurity. When combined with strong policies and user education, it forms the foundation of a safe, secure digital learning environment. Want to experience it for yourself? Start your free 30-day trial today!
The post How VPNs and Account Takeovers Impact School Cybersecurity – And How Cloud Monitor Helps appeared first on ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12.
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from ManagedMethods Cybersecurity, Safety & Compliance for K-12 authored by Alexa Sander. Read the original post at: https://managedmethods.com/blog/vpn-detection-in-k12-schools/
