School districts are facing increasingly common cyber-attack vectors, including denial of service attacks, ransomware infections, and data breaches making the need for cybersecurity even greater.
BIT and the DOE are partnering to expand the DDN services available to schools to include Cybersecurity Risk Assessments with a goal to ensure the district employs the technology, policies and best practices required for basic cyber hygiene.
The assessment creates an objective snapshot of your district’s information technology environment. An evaluation of the school’s internal and external facing devices will determine a cybersecurity baseline.
Rooted in an internationally recognized methodology, BIT’s infrastructure and policy assessment aim to ensure critical defensive measures are present and identify any gaps. Following the assessment, your district will receive a summary that outlines improvements tailored to the needs of your district.
BIT will provide hands-on assistance as needed but with limited resources the solutions for your district going forward may include a combination of school personnel, BIT staff and the private sector.
To get started, complete the self-assessment on the Members Site (members.k12.sd.us). It requires knowledge of your district’s information technology infrastructure and policy, and BIT encourages the district to complete this survey with your stakeholders, such as superintendents, principals, and/or business managers.
Specific findings and security exposures are confidential information and will not be shared. BIT will not disclose confidential information to anybody not involved with the services without prior consent from the school.
Please feel free to contact the K-12 Help Desk at help@k12.sd.us or (605) 937-6151 with any questions, concerns, comments, or to register for an assessment.
ASB Protective Trust Property/Liability fund offers wide-ranging cyber coverage that includes breach response, data recovery and cyber extortion, among many other areas, all totaling up to $1 million in claims expenses. Contact Director of the Protective Trust Holly Nagel at hnagel@asbsd.org or at 605-773-2515 for more information on the coverage.
