percentage of cyberattacks on schools stems directly from their information technology (IT) vendors. K–12 Security Information Exchange data found that 75% of all K–12 school breaches in 2020 were implemented through the schools’ vendors. These and other attacks were already increasing before the pandemic, but remote learning and the technology vulnerabilities it introduced gave cyberthieves more ammunition to fuel their attacks. In fact, having access to more technology in educa- tion is generally regarded as a good thing; however, it opens up a school to more cyber land mines and gives cyberthieves new pathways for ransomware and mal- ware attacks, and others.
No geographic region is off-limits for school cyberattacks; however, some areas have been dubbed “hot spots.”
No geographic region is off-limits for school cyber- attacks; however, some areas have been dubbed “hot spots.” These targets are states with the most significant number of institutions and largest student bodies, such as California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas. Following are some of the recent high-profile cyberat- tacks on schools: • The January 4, 2022, ransomware attack on Finalsite, a leading school website services provider, disrupted access to its network of 8,000 schools and colleges in an estimated 115 countries.
• The January 2022 cyberattack on Albuquerque Public Schools forced the cancellation of classes for approxi- mately 75,000 students for two school days.
• In a business email compromise attack on the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District, the district’s comptroller was sent phishing emails from cyberthieves pretending to be officials from the financial institution to which the district makes bond payments. As a result of the attack, three of the district’s four bond payments were diverted to the cybercriminals’ financial account; the district sus- tained a loss of $2 million.
• Classes were disrupted for school systems in Balti- more County, Maryland, and Miami-Dade County, Florida, as well as in New Jersey and Wisconsin school districts, among others.
Many more cited examples of attacks have prompted a heightened response by school leaders.
22 MAY 2022 | SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Education Leaders’ Responses
Reports of cyberattacks have become an eyeopener for school leaders who recognize the need to prioritize cybersecurity and formalize their related practices. After the Finalsite breach, for example, many school leaders realized they needed a tighter communications policy between themselves and their vendors in the event a ven- dor experiences a cyberattack that affects the schools. Further, many school systems now require their vendors to submit a cyberattack response plan for alerting the schools regarding attacks, along with measures to be implemented to restore their systems’ secure operations. Schools are instituting other policies, including allow- ing only school devices to access the network, provid- ing access to secure data on a need-to-know basis, and eliminating guest networks. Educating all constituents, including vendors, faculty, parents, and students, regard- ing sound cyber practices has also become a priority for many schools.
That education covers such practices as changing pass- words regularly, ensuring that devices are protected with security software, and not opening suspicious emails. These and other essential measures should be adopted and incorporated into a comprehensive, proactive school cybersecurity program.
Measures to Manage and Mitigate Cyberattacks
In its October 2021 report to congressional requesters, Critical Infrastructure Protection: Education Should Take Additional Steps to Help Protect K–12 Schools from Cyber Threats, the Government Accountabil- ity Office (GAO) laid out federal resources for K–12 schools. Of note was a data breach scenario training kit, a guide for ransomware prevention and response, a notice on the use of malicious emails to compromise operations, a distributed denial-of-service alert, and a document covering videoconferencing disruptions. The report’s publication came close to President
Biden’s October 8, 2021, signing of the K–12 Cyberse- curity Act of 2021, which authorized the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to study cyber risks affecting K–12 schools and to provide recommendations for enhanced cybersecurity. In its report, the GAO presented an overview of the cyber landscape affecting schools. It identified the play- ers in cyberattacks (i.e., criminal groups, terrorists, nations, and insiders with access to a school’s informa- tion system and enterprise). It delineated the responsi- bilities and roles of CISA, the Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Secure Schools (OSSS), and the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation.
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