On-demand Webinars

September 27, 2022

Meeting the K-12 Cybersecurity Challenge

Industry:

K12

Solution:

IT and CybersecurityOnline TrainingSpecial Override

School districts have undergone a digital transformation and in so doing introduced themselves to the risk of ransomware, student data breaches, and online fraud and theft.

While hundreds – if not thousands – of school districts are victimized by cyber criminals each year, it is only recently that we’ve been able to paint a picture of the emerging threat landscape facing schools.

Given limited resources and the realities of district operations:

  • What can K-12 leaders do to protect their school communities?
  • What roles can superintendents and school boards play?
  • How can K-12 IT leaders prioritize their limited time and resources?

As the K-12 sector grapples with these and related issues, the key to protecting school communities will be collective defense.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will understand:

  • The scope and variety of cybersecurity risks facing K-12 schools.
  • The similarities and differences between ensuring student data privacy and cybersecurity risk management.
  • The most important steps their districts can take to defend against cybersecurity threats.
  • The importance of engaging the broader K-12 and policy communities in these issues.

Additional Resources

Presenters

Doug Levin

National Director, K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX)

Doug Levin is co-founder and national director of the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), a national non-profit dedicated solely to helping schools protect themselves from emerging cybersecurity threats. He also is the creator of the K-12 Cyber Incident Map, the most comprehensive database of publicly-disclosed cybersecurity incidents in K-12 education, which serves as the foundation for the ‘State of K-12 Cybersecurity Year in Review’ annual report series.

He has been engaged in education and technology policy issues for over two decades – in a variety of roles – most prominently in helping to develop and implement the nation’s first education technology plan and strategy in 1996 under President Clinton, as well as its subsequent updates in 2000 and again in 2004 (under President Bush). He also consulted on the development of the 2016 plan (under President Obama).

From 2009-15, he served as executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). Previously, Mr. Levin held positions with the American Institutes for Research, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the National Association of State Boards of Education.

Eric Lankford

Regional Director and Co-Founder, K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX)

Eric is a cybersecurity professional with twenty years of experience in information security. He has worked in many different verticals including banking, multinational retail, multinational pharmaceutical, higher ed and K12 education. An advocate of advancing cybersecurity maturity, he serves as a leader for change in the space, having led the call for security collaboration among school districts since 2018. Eric is also an NYU Cyber Fellow at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.