Malware in general declined in the second quarter of 2023, according to a new report, even as double-extortion ransomware grew substantially.
Registration is now open for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s virtual National Summit on K–12 School Safety and Security on Nov. 1–2, 2023, designed for K–12 education leaders and safety stakeholders from local, state, and federal levels, the agency said in a news release.
In 75% of cyberattacks targeting education organizations over the last 12 months, IT and security managers cited compromised on-premises accounts as the cause, according to research from cybersecurity vendor Netwrix.
Intrusions into education networks have never been more rampant. And at this point, information security is the top concern among IT leaders and administration in K–12 districts. What's more, there is the distinct possibility that AI will compound the problem, while also being used to help deal with threats.
New survey results from the State Education Technology Directors Association underscore the importance of collaboration across agencies and school districts as cybersecurity and AI pose the biggest unmet challenges for public education.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has launched a voluntary pledge for K–12 education technology software makers to “commit to designing products with greater security built in,” the agency said in a news release.
The Department of Homeland Security has added $374.9 million in grant funding to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, which is entering its second year, the agency said in a news release.
SmartPass has launched three new options for its SmartPass Hall Pass solution including SmartPass Flex, SmartPass Attendance, and SmartPass ID Cards, with the latter offered free for K–12 schools, according to a news release.
The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled new public sector efforts and private sector commitments to bolstering cyber defenses across the nation’s public schools, including a new Government Coordinating Council within the U.S. Department of Education to facilitate formal collaboration between “every level of government and the education sector.”
Internet security company Cloudflare announced a new initiative at the recent White House “Back to School Safely: Cybersecurity for K–12 Schools” event: it will provide Zero Trust cybersecurity for small public school districts up to 2,500 students at no charge, and with no time limit.