Cybersecurity Resources for schools - IT and Educators

 

I hope all is well and you and your family are staying healthy and safe. Recently, multiple school districts have been hit with ransomware (including on in my home state of CT), malware, virus's, DoS attacks (a 16 y/o student did this in Texas) and more. 

Here are some resources for IT and educators to help protect your network, data, faculty and students. 

Let me know if you have any questions. 

Cybersecurity

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework |  CoSN Cybersecurity resources |  CoSN Interoperability Toolkit

• Hey, IT Leaders: When Disaster Strikes, Will Your School Be Ready?

• The Cybersecurity Threats That Keep K–12 CIOs Up at Night 

• EdTech Magazine - Cybersecurity Articles 

• K12 Cyber Incident Map | K12 Cybersecurity Resource Center

• Cybersecurity for K12 Essentials for District IT Teams

• School Safety Guide - cyber and physical security

• US Dept of Education Student Privacy Site

• Cybersecurity Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts

• School Safety.gov - resources for cybersecurity and physical security 

CDWG Solutions

• CDWG Cybersecurity Solutions | CDWG Virtual Chief Security Officer

• CDWG Incident Response Services | CDWG Cyber Security and Data Privacy Services 

• CDWG InfoSec Capabilities

Take Home Devices:

• GoGuardian Admin |  Lightspeed Relay |  Barracuda Web Security Gateway |  Cisco Umbrella

• Richland School District 2 1-1 computing resources

Online Safety and Security: (Users are #1 security risk)

• How K–12 Schools Can Balance Privacy and Security Protocols |   DigCit Commit  

• Why K–12 Students Need to Be Taught to Guard Their Data Online |   Top secure computing tips

• Google Be Internet Awesome Digital Literacy Curriculum

• K12 Blueprint Privacy Toolkit and K12 Blueprint Infrastructure Toolkit

• Netsmartz Internet Safety Resources | Student Data Privacy Consortium |  Kidssmartz online safety

Privacy and Security - Google and Microsoft:

• Google for Education Privacy and Security Center |  Google Admin Console: Best Practices and Resources 

• Microsoft Education Security Solutions   |   Microsoft Office 365 Security and Compliance

More Resources:

Cybersecurity Resources

Digital Citizenship Resources 

.

America’s Education is Under Threat, Canon USA - How to be Cyberstrong (Free tips and resources)

The education sector has become one of the most sought after targets for cybercriminals. Long imagined to target banks or high-tech facilities, cyberattacks are beginning to now focus on schools and education centers. Recent targets in New York and Texas might seem less likely but they have become one of the most vulnerable.

According to Canon USA’s Office of the Future survey, cyber threats are abundant and increasing, but what is most surprising is that employees or other organizational insiders are the most likely cause of cyberattacks. In order to combat this, Canon U.S.A. urges all school administrators take into account the below 5 Canon CyberStrong tips.

1.       BE ALL IN - Discuss your organization’s regulatory compliance obligations and any security policies that need to be monitored or enforced. Remember: Security is everyone’s responsibility.

2.       ASSESS YOUR RISKS - Organizations should be aware of their risks, i.e., how their habits and behaviors can lead to problems. Go in with your eyes wide open and you will be able to better see where strategies can be defined.

3.       THINK LEAN - Employ a lean mindset (build, measure, learn). Define the goals you want to meet. Measure the results qualitatively and quantitatively. Learn and continually monitor the process.

4.       CHECK YOUR CULTURE - Some organizations develop a culture that makes process improvement efforts difficult. Redefine the way your employees conduct themselves online. That takes more dedication and guidance from leadership.

5.        REFINE YOUR PROCESS - Without good processes in place, productivity can be impacted. Building good processes from the onset will help streamline your cyber culture.

And here is a Cybersecurity and Cybersafety Resource I put together:

--

Cyberpatriot - national youth cyber education program

​CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future. ​At the core of the program is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the nation's largest cyber defense competition that puts high school and middle school students in charge of securing virtual networks. Other programs include AFA CyberCamps, an elementary school cyber education initiative, a children’s literature series, and CyberGenerations –a cyber safety initiative geared toward keeping senior citizens safe online.

These are excellent, free resources and more for K-12 educators and students.

​The CyberPatriot Programs are:




THE NATIONAL YOUTH CYBER DEFENSE COMPETITION​
At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which puts teams of high school and middle school students in ​the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company. Through a series of online competition ​rounds, teams are given a set of virtual operating systems and are tasked with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services. The top teams in the nation earn all-expenses paid trips to Maryland for the National Finals Competition where they can earn national recognition and scholarship money.​​


AFA CYBERCAMPS
Held during the summer months, AFA CyberCamps emphasize fun, hands-on learning of cybersecurity principles that are relevant and applicable to everyday life. Though camps, students learn the importance of cyber safety and how to protect their personal devices and information from outside threats. Standard AFA CyberCamps teach beginner students the basics of cybersecurity, while Advanced AFA CyberCamps incorporate more complex concepts geared towards students who have previously participated in a camp or in the cyber defense competition.



ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CYBER EDUCATION INITIATIVE

The CyberPatriot Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative (ESCEI) is a set of three interactive learning modules aimed at increasing the awareness of online safety and cyber​security principles for K-6 students. The modules, which are available for download at no cost, can be presented in a classroom setting or at home. Supplemental activities are also available.




CYBER EDUCATION LITERATURE SERIES
The Cyber Education Literature series was launched in December 2017 with the publishing of its first book, Sarah the Cyber Hero. The book is a pre-K reader for younger children that pioneers the topic of cybersecurity to a early elementary youth. Digital​ and hard-copies of the book are available for purchase on Amazon and BookBaby.com.



CYBERGENERATIONS​CyberPatriot's newest program, CyberGenerations, the Senior Citizen's Cyber Safety Initiative, is designed to teach older individuals about password hygiene, malware and ransomware, marketing and fraud scam, and social media awareness. More importantly, CyberGenerations offers resources to victims of cyber scams. The program can be done as a self-paced guide, or it can be presented as a workshop in a group setting.

.

The Ultimate Parental Guide To Protecting Your Child On The Internet

The Ultimate Parental Guide To Protecting Your Child On The Internet is a free resource I found out about this week.

It has some great tips and ideas for keeping your devices and children safe from setting limits, to parental controls, and more. It has focus points on young children and teens. 

This is a great resource for teachers to use with students and for schools to share with parents.



Related:


More Internet Safety Resources
Digital Citizenship Resources
Online Safety Resources

.