NUARI – Norwich University Applied Research InstitutesNUARI – Norwich University Applied Research InstitutesNUARI – Norwich University Applied Research InstitutesNUARI – Norwich University Applied Research Institutes
  • ABOUT US
  • SERVICES
  • INSTITUTES
  • DECIDE®
  • SSC
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT

How to prepare and protect school districts against cybercriminals

By Jakon Hays | News | 0 comment | 17 November, 2020 | 0

Schools around the country are fighting a wave of ransomware attacks by cybercriminals. The U.S. Treasury Department points out, that unfortunately, these attacks have increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Why are schools such a tempting target? Often these institutions have thinly staffed IT departments and networks full of student and staff data.

To be fully prepared for a cyberattack, educators on all levels, from superintendents and board members to teachers and even parents working with students remotely, need to know the proper steps to take when handling a cyber threat. “Any cyber-attack, ransomware or otherwise, should be met with a tested response. Schools and school districts need to develop and exercise their incident response plans before an attack happens, similar to fire drills or active shooter drills,” says Kristen Pedersen, NUARI Associate Vice President.

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlights this current wave of attacks documenting nearly three dozen ransomware attacks against school districts since the pandemic began in March.

That tally, affecting districts educating more than 700,000 students, doesn’t include numerous private schools, community colleges and universities that have also come under attack.

Technology has allowed us to adopt new ways of working and learning. It’s also permitted cybercriminals to find new ways of obtaining personal information. Karen Bates, the Deputy Director of NUARI’s Security Situation Center, notes – “The largest vector for ransomware attacks like this is thru email or phishing. This puts first-line defense for a network on the end-user.”

So what can states, cities, school districts, teachers and parents do to prepare for a ransomware attack?

Preparation is key. NUARI’s DECIDE exercises (Distributed Environment for Critical Infrastructure Decision-making Exercises) simulate cyber-attacks for organizations which can improve strategic communication, compliance, risk, and overall resilience.

Additionally, organizations can find protection through services like the NUARI SSC (similar to a Security Operations Center). The NUARI SSC shares and receives information from federal and state law enforcement partners/agencies for increased protection against threats. This relationship enables NUARI to take a more proactive approach to cyber threats on the networks served. The NUARI SSC provides threat hunting, monitoring, detection, mitigation, and reporting improving any organization’s resilience against cyber-attacks.

Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Education, Norwich University, Ransomware, SOC, SSC

Related Post

  • NUARI’s Security Situation Center Moving Into a New Home

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

    With growth comes change, and with the growth of NUARI’s SSC (Security Situation Center), a new home is in order. What is the SSC? In the world of cybersecurity, NUARI’s SSC most closely resembles aRead more

  • Norwich University receives $1.6M grant to develop experiential cybersecurity education

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

      Norwich University has been awarded a two-year $1.6 million grant from the National Security Agency and is the lead institution in the Evidencing Competency Oversight Project, supporting the National Centers of Academic Excellence inRead more

  • Don’t trust it. Test it — with DECIDE®

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

    Having the right response protocols in place and the coordination and communication capabilities to implement them quickly and effectively is essential to withstanding a significant threat incident. Without regular exercises, your organization’s response may beRead more

  • Ready for Jack Voltaic 3.0

    By NUARI | 0 comment

    Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) is excited to partner with The Army Cyber Institute at West Point for the first completely virtual Jack Voltaic ™ experiment taking place on September 22nd and 24th, 2020. Read more

  • A coronavirus - CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MSMI; Dan Higgins, MAMS

    Fighting the Coronavirus With Data Science: Two Norwich Scientists Take on COVID-19 Treatment.

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

    Fighting a virus with data Like many of us earlier this year, Dr. Ahmed Abdeen Hamed, a Data Science Professor at Norwich University, listened to Dr. Anthony Fauci explain to reporters at a news conference,Read more

Latest News

  • Norwich University Applied Research Institutes receives $2.9M federal contract for transportation simulations

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

    Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) has been awarded a three-year $2.9M contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science

  • Norwich University receives $1.6M grant to develop experiential cybersecurity education

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

      Norwich University has been awarded a two-year $1.6 million grant from the National Security Agency and is the lead institution in

  • Don’t trust it. Test it — with DECIDE®

    By Jakon Hays | 0 comment

    Having the right response protocols in place and the coordination and communication capabilities to implement them quickly and effectively is essential to

  • Announcing the Jack Voltaic Conference Series

    By Jakon Hays | Comments are Closed

    Infrastructure resilience is more critical than ever. Digital connectivity makes our infrastructure more efficient yet potentially vulnerable. Cyberattacks rarely affect a single

Questions?

GET IN TOUCH

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Meet the NUARI Team
  • Services
  • Institutes
  • Jobs
  • Norwich University
  • National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium
  • Privacy Policy
NUARI logo

 

NUARI enables a resilient society through rapid research, development, and education in cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and defense technologies.

DECIDE Platform

DECIDE logo
  • About Us
  • Meet the NUARI Team
  • Services
  • Institutes
  • Jobs
  • Norwich University
  • National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium
  • Privacy Policy

Contact

P.O. Box 30
Northfield, VT 05663
Phone: 802.485.2213
Email Address: NUARIinfo@norwich.edu

Get in Touch

Follow Us

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Institutes
  • DECIDE
  • SSC
  • News
  • Contact
NUARI – Norwich University Applied Research Institutes