K12 SIX Lauds Whole-of-Nation, Whole-of-Government Response to School Cybersecurity Crisis

The K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), the nation’s K-12 education information sharing and analysis center, applauds the availability of new education-focused federal and private sector cybersecurity resources being made available for the start of the new school year. “At the start of the 2023-24 school year, K-12 cybersecurity stands at a crossroad,” said Doug Levin, director of K12 SIX. “Targeted federal support and resources will be instrumental in stemming the tide of cyber attacks against school districts. Only through a concerted, whole-of-nation effort can we expect to move the needle on school cyberattacks.”

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“At the start of the 2023-24 school year, K-12 cybersecurity stands at a crossroad”

From 2016-2022, K12 SIX research has cataloged 1,619 publicly disclosed cyber incidents involving U.S. public K-12 school systems in every state in the nation. These incidents are increasing in both frequency and severity, leading to school district closures, the theft or extortion of millions of dollars, and the unauthorized disclosure of highly personal information about students, families, and teachers.

K12 SIX launched in late 2020 to fill a gap in the school cybersecurity landscape: the need for better information sharing and coordination to respond to this crisis. Working with its members, K12 SIX develops cyber threat intelligence, resources, and services to enhance school system cyber defense capacity, including:

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• The K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections: baseline cybersecurity standards for school districts—built exclusively for and by K-12 IT leaders
• The K12 SIX Self-Assessment Tool: privately evaluates a district’s cybersecurity posture and offers customized guidance on areas for improvement
• The K12 SIX Cyber Incident Response Runbook: an actionable, K-12 specific cyber incident response plan template, ready for customization

K12 SIX offers a variety of other membership benefits for eligible K-12 entities, including access to a real-time cyber threat intelligence sharing portal; priority, discounted access to the 2024 National K-12 Cybersecurity Leadership Conference (February 13-14, 2024 in Savannah, GA); and access to vendor-neutral advice and technical assistance.