Secure by Design: A Smarter Approach to School District Cybersecurity

Secure by Design: A Smarter Approach to School District Cybersecurity

School districts are under attack. Most of them have no idea how to defend themselves. Ransomware has brought entire school systems to its knees. Student data like names, addresses, medical conditions, and social security numbers have been stolen and sold online. Teachers have been hacked. Payroll has been diverted to thieves. In nearly every case, the people best positioned to prevent these disasters have no idea where to begin. School District Cybersecurity is the guide they’ve been waiting for. It’s the guide they’ve never had before. Written by a cyber security practitioner named Michael Sullivan, the book is not a “tech manual” for IT experts. It is a guide for every person in the school district – from the superintendent to the school board to the principal to the teacher to the business office. No computer science degree is necessary. What makes this book different: There are thousands of books on cybersecurity. None of them were written for the K-12 world. This one was. Every term, from ransomware to phishing to multi-factor authentication to zero trust to vendor risk, is described using real-life school district scenarios, written from the perspective of people whose primary focus is on educating kids, not operating servers. When this book describes why school districts are prime targets for cyber-attacks, there won't be any descriptions of hackers and vectors. There will be descriptions of a Tuesday morning in October when a middle school principal's computer screen went black. What will be covered in 12 detailed chapters: Why school districts are among the most attacked organizations in the country and what makes student data so valuable to hackers. The process for creating a school district cybersecurity framework, policies, and governance structure that matches your school district's unique culture and budget. The process for establishing your school district's risk tolerance and communicating it to leadership. The process for engaging every employee, from school board members to classroom aides, in school district cybersecurity. The process for ensuring school district student and staff data privacy and compliance. The process for managing school district vendors and third-party risk. The process for preparing for and responding to a real-life school district cybersecurity incident. The process for establishing a school district culture of cybersecurity that will last beyond any technology, policy, or threat.