The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently released a free collection of K-12 cybersecurity resources to help school and district leaders mitigate and respond to growing cyber threats.
The guidance comes at a time when the education sector is being targeted for cyberattacks both directly and through third-party vendors.
The CISA resources include two guides. The first aims to give school leaders the basic foundations for developing and improving K-12 cybersecurity programs, and the other is designed for K-12 cybersecurity leaders to find ways to sustain their approaches to cyber defense.
The most common cybersecurity threats schools face are data breaches, ransomware attacks, business email compromises, denial of service attacks and invasions, CISA said.
Cyber criminals often target K-12 schools because policy, planning, budgeting, resources and personnel is public record in many jurisdictions, CISA added.
The guides outline essential cybersecurity practices organized around eight key objectives:
- Protecting login credentials.
- Safeguarding devices and assets.
- Testing backups.
- Strengthening incident response capabilities.
- Improving cybersecurity training.
- Enacting policies to appropriately manage sensitive data.
- Aligning investments with recognized cybersecurity frameworks.
- Developing long-term, customized plans.
CISA said limited funding can force school districts to choose between students’ education and other cyber defense options like equipment, information technology infrastructure, personnel and software.
Between 2018 and 2021, CISA found that schools and districts disclosed over 1,300 cybersecurity incidents, and that K-12 cybersecurity incidents are not always publicly reported. In the first half of 2026, there were a total of 34 ransomware attacks in the U.S. targeting both K-12 and higher education institutions.
Photo by Stefan Coders from Pexels
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