In the world of data protection, there’s a classic analogy experts use to describe the ideal security strategy. Here’s how it goes: Think of your school district’s digital infrastructure as a medieval castle. It houses your most valuable treasures — academic records, student data, and sensitive information. Outside the castle walls, your network security forms a moat to protect the crown jewels from unauthorized access and attack. The only way to enter is by crossing a drawbridge, where guards check all traffic for signs of a potential threat. Although it seems simple, this approach is a tried ..read more

K-12 cyberattacks are increasing. According to a survey of over 3,000 information technology (IT) and cybersecurity leaders, 80% of school IT professionals experienced ransomware attacks in 2022 — up from just 52% the previous year. Indeed, school districts are more likely to report ransomware than IT professionals from other industries. Why? Because hackers are targeting them at an unrelenting rate. Simply put, that’s why incident response plans (IRPs) are a must. However, no IRP is complete without post-incident activity. But what does that mean? How does post-incident analysis work? And why ..read more

How Azusa’s technology team makes web filtering and online safety for students easy with Content Filter by ManagedMethods Like many school districts, state-of-the-art technology is at the forefront of Azusa Unified’s educational mission. As Director of Technology, Manuel Sanchez’s job is to make the district’s tech stack the best (and safest) it can be. Students, faculty, and staff all rely on internet access throughout the school and work day. At the same time, all school districts that receive federal e-Rate funding are required to use a web content filter for CIPA compliance. This requireme ..read more

Defending your school district’s IT infrastructure is hard enough as it is. It’s a lot tougher if you don’t know what to defend against. That’s why you need a cyber security risk assessment template. Not familiar? No worries. Let’s discuss the importance of risk analysis and how to conduct a cyber security risk assessment for your school district. What is a security risk assessment? According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a cyber security risk assessment is an exercise that assists organizations in understanding potential threats to their operations, critical ..read more

This article was originally published on IT Business Net on 3.4.24 by Charlie Sander, CEO at ManagedMethods. The need to safeguard sensitive information and optimize IT resources within educational institutions is fundamental. We are living through an era where technology permeates every aspect of education. So, the need to safeguard sensitive information and optimize IT resources within educational institutions is fundamental. Cyber threats from various malicious actors have become more sophisticated, so schools have the formidable challenge of investing in cybersecurity while not blowing the ..read more

Content filtering is an essential part of the K-12 cybersecurity and safety landscape. But which content filter is best for your school district? Read on to learn all you need to know about web filtering and choosing the right solution. Understanding K-12 content filtering Filters can be overwhelming if you’re new to the topic. Let’s review the basics of content filtering and how it works: What is a content filter? Content filtering — sometimes called web filtering or internet filtering — is the process of restricting internet access to specific types of web content (i.e., digital media). The ..read more

This article was originally published on EdTech Digest on 3.5.24 by Charlie Sander, CEO at ManagedMethods. Like it or not, students give and receive a huge amount of data. Whether we like it or not, the modern education system requires that students give and receive a huge amount of data. To some extent, it helps their teachers to better understand them—from their grades to educative resources, a comprehensive database is essential nowadays. Unfortunately, while a system like this allows educators to access data remotely, the nature of a server being accessed in so many different locations wit ..read more

Naz.API Threat In K-12 Schools Uncovered During A Recent Google Workspace Cybersecurity Audit Call Picture this: I’m helping out with the initial risk audit call, and things seem normal until an alarming discovery unfolded, shedding light on the vulnerability of student accounts and the importance of robust security measures. I notice a bunch of student logins from countries all over the world. Now, there can be a number of legitimate reasons for this. Most of the time it’s students using VPNs to get around the device controls you probably have set up. But these logins were different. We’re ta ..read more

This article was originally published on Spiceworks on 3.6.24 by Charlie Sander, CEO at ManagedMethods. Discover AI’s role in cybersecurity: threat detection, post-incident analysis, and cost-effective data protection. When it comes to cyberattacks, organizations of all types and sizes need to ditch the idea of “It won’t happen to us.” The Trellix 2024 Threat Predictions report highlights that detecting and identifying threats and advanced security tools are becoming more challenging for victims. But why is this happening? Ransomware gangs are getting smarter, and AI helps cybercriminals effor ..read more

Imagine your school district experiences a cybersecurity event, such as a data breach. Where do you begin? Who do you contact? How do you respond? These questions, among others, are essential to protecting sensitive data. But, if your security team isn’t well-prepared, you may end up scrambling for answers. Fortunately, you don’t have to search high and low if you already have a cyber incident response policy to reference. Think of it as a blueprint for mitigating cyber threats before the damage is done. In this guide, we’ll explain the purpose of a cyber incident response policy, the downfa ..read more