In honor of October being National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re transforming our comprehensive eBook, How to Protect Your K-12 District from Cyberattacks, into a three-part blog miniseries. This timely focus highlights the escalating risks in education and equips district leaders with actionable strategies. The series breaks down the content for easier reading:
- Part 1 covers the rising threat landscape.
- Part 2 covers common attack types and defenses.
- Part 3 covers advanced prevention, resources, and solutions like those from Lightspeed Systems.
Advanced Prevention Strategies, Resources, and Solutions for K-12 Cybersecurity
As we wrap up our How to Protect Your K-12 Districts from Cyberattacks miniseries during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, the goal is to now look forward towards the proactive measures beyond basic defenses. This includes checklists, expert recommendations, online resources, and tools like Lightspeed’s offerings to fortify your district.
Additional Prevention Steps
Go through this checklist to gauge your district’s readiness:
- Keep systems updated—patching is priority #1.
- Consult your cybersecurity insurance carrier for resources and risk management advice.
- Conduct annual audits of networks, patches, and third-party vendors; use analytics like Lightspeed Insight™ for easy data aggregation.
- Prioritize regular training, in-service sessions, and newsletters to minimize human error.
- Use a secure cloud like AWS for confidential data storage.
- Enable MFA on all accounts—Microsoft says it reduces hack risk by 99%.
- Seek pre-attack support from local authorities.
- Integrate digital citizenship into curricula to teach safe online habits, privacy, and more.
- Develop a cyberattack response plan, including data recovery communication.
Government and Fund Recommendations Align
The U.S. Department of Education’s PTAC suggests audits, log reviews, training, and limited data access. The FBI emphasizes prevention (training, controls) and continuity plans. TASB Risk Management Fund advises appointing an Information Security Officer (ISO) for policy development and guidance.
Cyberattack Online Resources
Leverage these agencies for further support and resources:
- K12 SIX: Nonprofit for threat sharing among districts.
- Incident Response Playbook Designer: Downloadable playbooks for malware, data theft, etc.
- NIST: Standards and best practices for cybersecurity.
- CISA: Resources to combat ransomware.
- DOE’s PTAC: Checklists, best practices, and training.
- NSBA’s Cyber Secure Schools: Planning and policy tools.
- DHS’s CISA and REMS TA Center: Infrastructure protection and emergency management.
- IC3: Report internet fraud to the FBI.
- NCES: Data analysis and security guidelines.
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Risk management tool.
How Lightspeed Can Help with Cybersecurity
Lightspeed’s solutions provide a unified platform for security and compliance.
- Lightspeed Insight™: Offers edtech usage visibility, app approvals, privacy scanning, and integration with certified directories. Benefits include better decision-making, streamlined reviews, privacy management, and equitable connectivity.
- Lightspeed Filter™: Comprehensive filtering across OSes and environments. It blocks inappropriate content with a massive database, scales via cloud tech, ensures consistent reporting without proxies, and manages policies for CIPA compliance, BYOD, and IoT.
Ready to strengthen your posture? Request a demo to see how Lightspeed Filter and Insight can protect your district.
Thank you for joining us for our How to Protect Your K-12 District from Cyberattacks blog miniseries.
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and as always, stay safe out there!
