The federal government is seeking to strengthen cybersecurity at K-12 schools across the country by establishing a new coordinating agency.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently announced the creation of the Government Coordinating Council (GCC) to protect schools from cybersecurity threats. K-12 schools are some of the more common targets for cybercriminals.
According to reports dallas express, Most cyberattacks are carried out against critical infrastructure such as public facilities and health services, with 89 incidents reported this year as of March 26, according to Statista. In political institutions he had 82 cases, while in the education sector he had 19 cases. Ransomware attacks are the most common and can cripple districts and compromise sensitive student and staff information.
As CISA explains, the GCC “enables interagency collaboration and cross-jurisdictional coordination across multiple levels of governance: federal, state, local, and tribal” for a particular sector or subsector. Masu”. The newly formed GCC will work with stakeholders in the Educational Facilities Subsector (ESF), comprised of K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions, to elaborate and share cybersecurity best practices. intend to do something.
“GCC embodies our commitment to ensuring the cybersecurity of our nation's schools,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said in a statement. “This effort represents a monumental step forward in formalizing a partnership between federal, state, and local education leaders in protecting critical K-12 infrastructure.”
The new GCC could lead to stricter reporting protocols for schools facing cyber-attacks or potential data breaches. For example, CISA is proposing comprehensive federal regulations to report such incidents within 72 hours if a ransomware payment is made, and within 24 hours.
All entities protected under Presidential Directive 21 of 2013 are subject to this new rule. The directive identifies 16 key sectors, including the government facilities sector, of which the ESF is a part. As protected entities, the assigned GCCs aim to reduce risks and improve security practices through the discussion and revision of national infrastructure protection plans and sectoral plans.
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