Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Mitigating data breaches with live patch management

Key points:

  • The nation continues to face a severe cyber workforce shortage
  • Defending against future ransomware attacks requires cybersecurity investments
  • See related article: Fixing the K-12 cybersecurity problem
  • For more news on IT security, see eSN’s IT Leadership page

According to a recent report from the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), aggressive hacking tactics by threat actors are increasing in frequency and complexity against K-12 classrooms and higher education institutions.

With public and private schools providing a broad attack surface area for exploitation, they often find themselves repeatedly targeted by malicious hackers looking for financial gain or to steal the sensitive information of students and teachers. These cyberattacks create potentially dangerous effects on the education sector via lost instructional time and the cost to recover from the incident.…Read More

Fixing the K-12 cybersecurity problem

Key points:

In early September, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced a voluntary pledge for K-12 education technology software manufacturers to commit to designing products with a greater focus on security. In the announcement, CISA mentioned that six leaders in the education software industry had already committed to the pledge: PowerSchool, ClassLink, Clever, GG4L, Instructure, and D2L.

“We need to address K-12 cybersecurity issues at its foundation by ensuring schools and administrators have access to technology and software that is safe and secure right out of the box,” said CISA director Jen Easterly. “I want to thank ClassLink, Clever, D2L, GG4L, Instructure, and PowerSchool, who have already signed this pledge and for their leadership in this area. We need all K-12 software manufacturers to help us improve cybersecurity for the education sector by committing to prioritize security as a critical element of product development.”…Read More

Companies go to high schools for career training

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Every now and then, Ayden Corbett has to explain to surprised homeowners what he’s doing in their front yard.

Since the second semester of his senior year of high school, he has responded to field calls as an employee of the largest underground utility locating company in North America — the Indianapolis-based U.S. Infrastructure Company (USIC). The white truck and multicolored flags marking the location of water, power, and telecommunications lines usually give it away. …Read More

The essential guide to 2FA for schools

Key points:

  • Schools are popular targets for cyberattacks, but two-factor authentication can help protect data
  • When implementing 2FA, schools should consider integration with existing systems, enhanced accountability for student activities, and preventing password sharing
  • See related article: Key tips to help educators thwart cyberattacks

Education heavily relies on digital infrastructure, making it a hot spot for malicious activities. Check Point’s 2022 Mid-Year Report reinforces the urgency to secure educational institutions, highlighting a crazy 44 percent surge in cyberattacks aimed at the education sector compared to 2021. On average, schools suffered 2,297 attacks per week. That’s alarming, indeed.

The solution? Verify the identity of anyone with access to a school’s network. In this article, we’ll discuss how two-factor authentication (2FA) helps protect data in schools, compliance with 2FA in educational institutions, and the key features a 2FA solution should have for schools.…Read More

3 reasons to spend ESSER funds on school-home communications

Key points:

  • School-home communication is critical in boosting attendance and decreasing absenteeism
  • A thoughtful school communication plan is as important to good schooling as a great teacher
  • See related article: 5 ways video improves school-home communication

When you think about Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, do you think “HVAC?”

While ESSER funds were vital for making schools safer during the pandemic, they cover more than infrastructure. The true goal of ESSER funding is learning recovery, and the heart of learning recovery is attendance.…Read More