Clever advances K-12 cybersecurity with the announcement of new multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution uniquely designed for the classroom

Classroom MFA protects student, teacher, and staff accounts without requiring a secondary device

SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Clever, the platform powering secure digital learning for over 100,000 schools, today announced Classroom MFA, a multi-factor authentication solution specifically designed for the needs of K-12 education. In an environment where more school systems look to remove personal device distractions from the classroom, Classroom MFA provides a second layer of login security for digital learning tools without needing a second device.

In response to the growing threat of cyberattacks that leverage student and teacher accounts as entry points into the school network, Classroom MFA provides a timely solution to protect student and teacher accounts, safeguard sensitive data, and minimize disruptions to education. While schools recognize the importance of implementing robust identity and access management solutions to safeguard student accounts, they often find that current solutions need to be better suited to the unique demands of classroom settings. Existing security solutions such as smartphone-based authentication and biometric identification have not been widely adopted in classrooms because students either do not have access to cell phones during school hours or are prohibited from using them, and the cost of biometric options may exceed a school district’s budget.

“The rising numbers of cyberattacks on students nationwide highlighted the need for an effective MFA solution that protected our students,” says Joel Thurman-Williams of Pioneer School District 402 in Washington state. “An attack would be extremely costly for us. The cost-effective MFA solution from Clever significantly reduces the risk of cybercriminals exploiting our students.”

Classroom MFA addresses these challenges with existing cybersecurity solutions with features tailored specifically for K-12 schools, including age-appropriate second factors, classroom-friendly delegated administration, and K-12 budget-conscious pricing. Designed for easy adoption by IT leaders managing multiple responsibilities, Classroom MFA balances security and usability. It introduces age-appropriate second factors: 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 (including Badges and login pictures) as well as commonly used second factors such as biometrics, hardware tokens, app tokens, SMS, and voice
• Protection for Clever SSO federated applications in the Clever Portal, Google Workspace, and Google Chromebook logins
• Unlimited unique policy creation to support appropriate authentication methods per student grade, user groups, or IEP/ELL status
• Automatic, context-based MFA prompts in unfamiliar networks or countries
• Delegated administration tools that allow teachers to support student logins and unblock access issues directly in the classroom

“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” said Mohit Gupta, Director of Product at Clever. “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 today for set up at just $1.50 per user, per year. To learn more about Classroom MFA, visit here.

About Clever

Clever is on a mission to connect every student to a world of learning. More than 77% of U.S. K-12 schools use Clever to power secure digital learning experiences. And, with Clever’s layered security solutions, K-12 schools can protect district access and identities for all staff, teachers, and students. With a secure platform for schools and a network of leading application providers, Clever is committed to advancing education with technology that works for students everywhere. Clever, a Kahoot! company, has an office in San Francisco, CA, but you can visit us at clever.com anytime.

SOURCE Clever