Nation-state adversaries and cybercriminals continue to launch cyberattacks at an unparalleled pace across all industries, and the education sector is among their targets.
The education sector is one of the most targeted sectors due to the vast amount of valuable data stored and relatively weak security measures. Adversaries are aware of the personal data held by schools, district offices, libraries, and other targets and the security flaws that create low barriers to entry. K-12 education institutions often suffer from outdated IT equipment and tight budgets, limiting their ability to upgrade tools. Staff are often unaware of modern cybersecurity threats and protections due to lack of training.
A cyber attack on a school or library can have serious consequences. School districts may take weeks or even months to recover from the disruption, incurring additional costs and further straining their budgets. More seriously, cyberattacks can have a major impact on students’ education. Strengthening cybersecurity in the education sector is essential.
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Government regulations protect schools and libraries
The Federal Communications Commission is taking productive steps to combat these evolving cybersecurity threats and better protect sensitive data held by educational institutions. The FCC’s School and Library Cybersecurity Pilot Program is designed to provide essential cybersecurity services and equipment to K-12 schools and libraries to ensure students receive an uninterrupted education due to cyberattacks. Masu.
The program will provide participating schools and libraries with $200 million in funding over three years to purchase eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. During this period, the FCC will collect relevant data on the effectiveness of the funds with the aim of making the program permanent.
Schools and districts are eligible to receive a minimum of $13.60 or $15,000 (whichever is greater) per student to purchase eligible cybersecurity services and equipment during the program period. This funding will have an immediate impact on the cybersecurity posture of participating organizations.
The School and Library Cybersecurity Pilot Program is in many ways an extension of the E-Rate program, another long-standing FCC initiative that has provided funding to many schools to procure learning-enabled networking technology. It is modeled with. The FCC received a request to expand the E-Rate program to support more advanced firewalls and other network security services that protect students and teachers using online learning technologies. The Cybersecurity Pilot Program is a direct response to these demands and the overwhelming need for cybersecurity resources.
While the original proposal only considered advanced or next-generation firewalls for funding, the final version of the pilot program allows schools and libraries to use the grants to build cybersecurity solutions tailored to their unique needs. You can now build your program. Some categories of related tools are consistent with federally recognized best practices. These include endpoint protection. Identity protection and authentication. Zero trust architecture. Monitoring, detection, and response capabilities.
Take action: Use these tips to apply for FCC cybersecurity pilot funding.
Implementing cybersecurity best practices for schools and libraries
To protect school districts and libraries from cyber threats, it’s important to invest in cybersecurity tools and leverage available funding to build a robust cybersecurity program. If you have the funds, it is advantageous to invest in advanced security, such as:
Endpoint protection: Protect endpoints such as laptops, desktops, and mobile devices that connect to your network. Advanced endpoint protection solutions provide real-time threat detection, block malicious activity, and respond to threats before they cause significant harm. Protecting against identity threats: As organizations digitally transform to support remote work and learning, they are adopting bring-your-own-device policies and increasing their reliance on cloud services. An identity-centric approach to security uses a combination of real-time authentication traffic analysis and machine learning analytics to quickly identify and prevent identity-based attacks. Zero Trust Architecture: This security framework assumes that all users, devices, and systems inside and outside the network are untrusted by default. Organizations must incorporate security protections that focus on identity and authentication because of fundamental problems with the authentication architectures widely used today. Zero Trust security concepts fundamentally reduce or prevent lateral movement and privilege escalation during a breach by eliminating transitive trust. Monitor, detect, and respond: Identify and respond to threats in real time. These capabilities include continuously monitoring network activity, detecting anomalous or suspicious behavior, and responding to mitigate identified threats. Companies that cannot effectively run security programs in-house should consider managed service providers that improve efficiency and enable organizations to apply internal IT and security resources to domain-specific challenges. Regular cybersecurity training for employees and students: Increase awareness of common cyberattack tactics like phishing and social engineering by equipping users with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. Increase. It’s also important to regularly upgrade your software and systems to protect against known vulnerabilities and ensure everything is securely configured.
Although the education sector is vulnerable to threats, steps can be taken to protect school districts and libraries from further damage.
Watch now: Uncover the secrets of protecting your district’s student data.
Thankfully, the FCC’s pilot program has all the makings of a grade-A cybersecurity initiative. The program addressed pressing issues and considered input from stakeholders to develop a framework, resulting in funding to support sectors that frequently face cyber-attacks. Other government agencies may wish to closely monitor the development of this program and consider implementing similar testing programs of their own.
