{"id":53202,"date":"2023-08-09T15:34:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T15:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34886\/White-House-To-Strengthen-K-12-Cybersecurity.html"},"modified":"2023-08-09T15:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T15:34:55","slug":"white-house-to-strengthen-k-12-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/white-house-to-strengthen-k-12-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"White House To Strengthen K-12 Cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cyberattacks targeting schools across the U.S. have taken their toll on school districts, prompting the Biden administration to fight back with a bevy of efforts aimed at hardening cybersecurity defenses for educators<\/a> and classrooms.<\/p>\n

Citing data that eight school districts were hit by cyberattacks in the 2022-23 academic school year alone, first lady Jill Biden \u2014 flanked by officials from the departments of Education and Homeland Security \u2014 rallied with school administrators, educators and private organizations and discuss how to prevent cyberattacks from further disrupting K-12 education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith each new semester, technology becomes a more indispensable part of making sure our students\u2019 imaginations can soar and ensuring that administrators can run their schools smoothly and safely,\u201d said Biden. \u201cBut in districts across the country, cyberattacks have brought those systems to a halt. \u2026 Social Security numbers and medical records stolen and shared online, classroom technology paralyzed and lessons ended. So if we want to safeguard our children\u2019s futures, we must protect their personal data.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking at the event with Biden on Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that cyber threats now touch every school. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why we at the Department of Homeland Security, alongside our partners at the Biden-Harris administration, are committed to providing communities and school systems with the support and the resources necessary to protect themselves, their infrastructure and their students,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Mayorkas noted that through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, DHS earlier this year released a free cybersecurity toolkit to provide K-12 schools with government resources and how they can best implement them. <\/p>\n

He also said the administration is working with the technology industry to ensure what they provide public schools are \u201csecure right out of the box.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mayorkas announced the administration put out a call Tuesday for applications for state and local cybersecurity programs that will make over $100 million available to school districts and governments allowing them to bolster cyber defenses.<\/p>\n

Also announced were additional resources to drive better cybersecurity inside K-12 schools. Efforts included:<\/p>\n

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