A collaboration of government agencies (DHS, CISA, FBI) is creating a national strategy to guide schools in how to deal with cybercrime. Cybercrime increased 400% since the start of the pandemic. Unfortunately, this task force will only provide limited information for the next year, which doesn’t offer enough immediate help.

Information security for schools needs to be developed more. Security Scorecard ranked education last among 17 industries.  K-12 schools are easy targets for cybercriminals:

  • Schools have a lot of sensitive data.
  • Schools traditionally need to be more staffed/underfunded regarding IT.
  • Schools are increasingly reliant on technology.
  • Hackers know schools are easy targets.

 

There are some things schools can do to protect themselves better. Industry best practices include:

  1. Implementing cyber solid security controls: Multi-Factor Authentication enabled via Google or Microsoft, Firewalls, Sophisticated Anti-Virus solutions, and Data Backups. Providers often offer schools significant discounts
  2. Purchasing cyber insurance with coverage to indemnify for a loss.
  3. Educating staff & students about the risks of cybercrime.
  4. Consulting a professional: Bell-Anderson/Acrisure extends free consultations/assessments for all WFIS members with technology/cyber security & insurance concerns.

Cybercrime poses significant risks to K-12 schools. The Bell-Anderson/Acrisure team is one resource to help prioritize cybersecurity awareness and establish comprehensive measures to protect students, staff, and critical data systems.

Contact Matt Heikkala with questions: