Clever, the leading platform that powers secure digital learning for more than 100,000 schools, has unveiled Classroom MFA, an innovative multi-factor authentication solution tailored to the unique needs of K-12 education. As school systems increasingly seek to minimize personal device distractions in the classroom, Classroom MFA offers a second layer of login security for digital learning tools without the need for a secondary device.
The rise in cyberattacks targeting student and teacher accounts as entry points into school networks has highlighted the need for a robust and timely solution to protect sensitive data and minimize disruptions to education. However, existing security solutions, such as smartphone-based authentication and biometric identification, have not been widely adopted in classrooms due to students' limited access to cell phones during school hours, prohibitions on their use, and the high cost of biometric options that may exceed school district budgets.
Classroom MFA addresses these challenges by offering features specifically designed for K-12 schools, including age-appropriate second factors, classroom-friendly delegated administration, and budget-conscious pricing. Joel Thurman-Williams of Pioneer School District 402 in Washington state emphasizes the importance of an effective MFA solution, stating, "The rising numbers of cyberattacks on students nationwide highlighted the need for an effective MFA solution that protected our students. An attack would be extremely costly for us. The cost-effective MFA solution from Clever significantly reduces the risk of cybercriminals exploiting our students."
Designed for easy adoption by IT leaders managing multiple responsibilities, Classroom MFA strikes a balance between security and usability. It introduces age-appropriate second factors, such as login pictures for young students, physical badges for middle schoolers, and traditional second-factor options for high school students, helping students progressively adapt to security protocols.
Classroom MFA provides secure authentication for the classroom by preventing unauthorized access to student, teacher, and instructional staff accounts for Clever. It offers a variety of student and teacher-friendly second factors, protection for Clever SSO federated applications, unlimited unique policy creation to support appropriate authentication methods based on student grade, user groups, or IEP/ELL status, automatic context-based MFA prompts in unfamiliar networks or countries, and delegated administration tools that allow teachers to support student logins and unblock access issues directly in the classroom.
Mohit Gupta, Director of Product at Clever, emphasizes the urgency of securing access for everyone in education, stating, "Our goal is to secure access for everyone in education, regardless of a school's size or cybersecurity resources, now. The attacks are already happening and increasing in volume. Safeguarding our classrooms now is essential to stopping bad actors. Building on our successful deployment of Clever Badges to millions of students, we hope to further secure and improve the authentication process for schools of all kinds before back to school this year."
Classroom MFA is now available for set up at just $1.50 per user, per year, making it an affordable and accessible solution for schools of all sizes. As the demand for robust cybersecurity measures in K-12 education continues to grow, Clever's innovative approach to multi-factor authentication is poised to make a significant impact on the safety and security of digital learning environments.
