The Importance of K–12 Cybersecurity

The lack of cybersecurity awareness and training for staff and students provides cybercriminals with many opportunities to gain access and attack school networks. With so many mobile devices and laptops in classrooms, hackers have plenty of chances to gain access and introduce all kinds of cybersecurity issues to a school district. 

Without strong safety measures, educational institutions can suffer extensive downtime and slow student progress as administrators and personnel work to remedy the situation. At Huntress, we strengthen your cyber defenses, so your staff and students can focus on their school day without worrying about cyberattacks.

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Keeping kids safe is crucial, whether it's from physical or online threats. Hackers see school districts as a low-risk, high-reward target. Staff and student records offer up a wealth of personal and location information that bad actors are willing to pay good money for. 

Here are just a few of the possible consequences of a cyberattack on a school:

• The worst-case scenario is a data breach that puts students' identities and locations into the wrong hands. Hackers often sell this information along with social security numbers to other cybercriminals.
• Sensitive student/staff data like medical records, educational records, and financial information are at risk of getting stolen, corrupted, or lost. 
• Cyberattacks can cause disruptions to learning time or prevent access to coursework, effectively locking students and teachers out of their resources.
• System downtime can cause problems with everything from transportation and food services to administration and essential operating systems.
• A ransomware attack could cost school districts tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to regain access to their systems. 
• A cyber breach can cause a general loss of trust and a lower sense of security in the community.

Keep in mind that these scenarios are really just the tip of the iceberg.

Protecting Schools From Cyber Threats

Educators and districts can and should take proactive steps to guard against cyber threats and keep their schools secure. Security awareness training can educate students and staff on cybersecurity best practices while teaching them how to identify threats like phishing attempts and ransomware, helping prevent would-be attackers from getting a foot in the door. But that’s just one part of the equation—you also need managed endpoint detection and response (EDR) that constantly monitors your network environment and systems for malicious activity with 24/7 detection and response. With this powerful combination in place, you can help keep attackers at bay and ensure the safety of your school’s data, critical networks, and systems.

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K-12 schools and school districts are now among the most vulnerable to ransomware attacks and phishing scams. Ransomware is a piece of malicious software that embeds itself into a computer and locks users out of their systems until the school district or school agrees to pay a ransom demand.

‍Phishing is a common K-12 threat that uses deceptive emails to trick individuals into clicking a link or giving their login credentials to scammers, who then use the information to gain access to the user's online accounts.

What is the K–12 Cybersecurity Act?

Signed into law in 2021, the K–12 Cybersecurity Act requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to investigate threats to elementary and secondary schools and provide actionable recommendations for securing education infrastructure against cyberattacks. The purpose here is to foster a cyber-secure culture by familiarizing educators and policymakers with the nature of cyberattacks and to implement top-down actions that will combat online threats across school districts across the nation.

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There's no denying the importance of security in K-12 school districts. Through educational efforts and investments in a cybersecurity platform, schools and districts can defend against online threats and make the school environment safer for everybody. 

‍The Huntress Managed Security Platform offers continuous monitoring, end-to-end threat detection, and powerful tools that take the work of securing information and systems out of the hands of administrators and staff so your employees can focus on what they do best—and your students can learn, worry-free.