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# U.S. Department of Education Announces Key K-12 Cybersecurity Resilience Efforts  

# U.S. Department of Education Announces Key K-12 Cybersecurity Resilience Efforts  

August 7, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
As students, educators, and families prepare for  back-to-school, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced  key K-12 cybersecurity resilience efforts. These efforts include the upcoming establishment of a Government Coordinating Council (GCC), as well as the  release of the Department’s three K-12 Digital Infrastructure briefs, including  “K-12 Digital  Infrastructure Brief: Defensible and Resilient",  which was co-authored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency  (CISA). Together these efforts, along with a *Back  to School Safely: Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 Schools*at the White  House today, will unite leaders from the Biden-Harris Administration,  education, industry, and advocacy groups to make advancements on a crucial  issue in fortifying cybersecurity resilience in the K-12 education community. You can watch today’s White House event here.

“Let’s face it: in today’s digital age, our students and  their teachers will increasingly use technology in the classroom. Schools have  access to more devices and connectivity than ever before, and this technology  in education has incredible potential to help students better connect with their  learning and achieve, and teachers better engage with their students,” said  U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “But to make the most of these  benefits, we must effectively manage the risks. Just as we expect everyone in a  school system to plan and prepare for physical risks, we must now also ensure  everyone helps plan and prepare for digital risks in our schools and  classrooms. The Department of Education has listened to the field about the  importance of K-12 cybersecurity, and today we are coming together to recognize  this and indicate our next steps.” 

Education infrastructure is undeniably critical  infrastructure, and in the digital age, the need to prioritize cybersecurity  has become more apparent than ever. Just as we work to provide physical  infrastructure for our schools that is safe, healthy, and supportive for all  students, the time has come to align resources towards creating a digital  infrastructure that is equally safe, accessible, resilient, sustainable, and future-proof. 

The Government Coordinating Council will coordinate  activities, policy, and communications between federal, state, local, tribal,  and territorial governments that strengthen the cyber defenses and resilience  of K-12 schools. By facilitating formal, ongoing collaboration between all  levels of government and the education sector, the GCC will be a key first step  in the Department’s strategy to protect schools and districts from  cybersecurity threats and for supporting districts in preparing for, responding  to, and recovering from cybersecurity attacks. This convening at the White  House will play a pivotal role in defining the strategies and approaches  required to achieve these crucial objectives. 

“Students across our country deserve to learn in an  environment that is not only safe and secure physically, but also digitally.  This means that schools need the best tools and information available to  protect their networks and systems from the full range of cybersecurity  threats,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “The product released today from the  Department of Education and CISA provides school K-12 districts across our  communities a starting place to understand the importance of securing our  digital infrastructure,  and provides steps schools can take today to  keep their systems safe. CISA encourages all Administrators, school districts,  and teachers to read through this helpful guide and take the recommended  actions to reduce risk to the digital infrastructure our children use and rely  on each and every day.” 

The White House’s *Back to  School Safely: Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 Schools* will serve as  an important platform to address the pressing challenges faced by educators,  students, and families in the digital realm. Participants will discuss the key  considerations outlined in the newly released publication by the Department's  Office of Educational Technology and CISA titled "K-12 Digital  Infrastructure Brief: Defensible and Resilient." Key considerations  include: 
- Enhancing Continuous  Risk Management: Addressing the ever-evolving threat landscape by adopting a  proactive approach to managing cybersecurity risks. 
- Utilizing Analogies  for Understanding: Leveraging lessons from physical world scenarios to  comprehensively grasp and tackle cybersecurity challenges. 
- Prioritizing and  Implementing Mitigation Strategies: Identifying the most critical risks and  applying effective mitigations such as multi-factor authentication, robust  password policies, phishing prevention, and regular software updates. 
- Building Resilience  for Cyber Incidents: Developing and practicing cyber incident response plans to  minimize the impact of potential cybersecurity breaches. 
- Vendor  Engagement for Enhanced Security: Encouraging vendors to invest in secure  design principles, obtain cyber risk assurance certifications, and establish  security vulnerability disclosure practices. 

The additional two K-12 Digital Infrastructure briefs being  released by the Department today include “Adequate and Future-Proof” and “Privacy-Enhancing,  Interoperable and Useful.” 

The White House’s *Back to  School Safely: Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 Schools* represents a  unique opportunity for collaboration, innovation, and partnership, aimed at  safeguarding the digital infrastructure that supports our nation's schools.  Together, we can create a more secure and resilient future for education in the  United States. 

For more information, visit  tech.ed.gov/infrastructure.  
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