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Most school districts are doing a lot with a little. There is a clear need for increased cybersecurity budgeting and support mechanisms across the community. This resource shortfall is a major constraint to implementing effective cybersecurity programs across all K-12 entities. CISA recommends that K-12 organizations take these key steps:
There is nothing more important than ensuring the safety and security of our schools from physical and cybersecurity threats alike. Unfortunately, adversaries have targeted our Kindergarten to Twelfth (K-12) education system due to the extensive amounts of personal and financial data they maintain about our kids, teachers, school staff and records on the schools themselves.
Impacts of a Cyberattack. According to a 2022 U.S. Government Accountability Ofice report, the loss of learning following a cyberattack ranged from three days to three weeks, and recovery time can take anywhere from two to nine months. The monetary losses to school districts following a cyber incident ranged from $50,000 to $1 million.
- Amplify Your Prevention and Protection Capabilities. Conducting a thorough inventory of all hardware and software assets can help districts get a sense of what they’re trying to secure, says Randy Rose, senior director of cyber threat intelligence at the nonprofit Center for Internet Security.
- Institute Detection and Response Practices. Once districts identify their potential problem areas, the second phase is to develop a comprehensive approach to swiftly identify and contain any breaches that may occur.
- Prepare for Potential Recovery Needs. If a cybersecurity incident occurs, schools must be ready to address it while also maintaining crucial network operations.
- Mitigate Risk by Partnering with an Expert. While cybersecurity and student data privacy are the top two tech priorities for U.S. K–12 IT leaders, cybersecurity risks are often underestimated, according to a recent report from the Consortium for School Networking.
State of K-12 Cybersecurity: Year in Review reports. that from 2016 to 2021, schools in nearly every state in the country were victims of a cyberattack, with the frequency of attacks increasing from an average of about 200 a year in 2016 and 2017 to an average of about 300 a year from 2018 to 2021. The report also finds that while larger and ...
This report provides recommendations and resources to help K-12 schools and school districts address systemic cybersecurity risk. It also provides insight into the current threat landscape specific to the K-12 community and offers simple steps school leaders can take to strengthen their cybersecurity efforts.
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Improving K-12 Cybersecurity: First Steps Attacks against K-12 schools and districts have disrupted and closed schools, exposed sensitive data of students, their families, teachers, and ...
