White House launches new cybersecurity campaign to safeguard schools – By Chris Riotta (Nextgov) / Aug 7, 2023
The administration and its private sector partners announced a slate of new initiatives on Monday aimed at protecting the nation’s school systems and their digital infrastructure.
The White House is aiming to tackle cybersecurity issues in the nation’s school systems head on with a slate of new initiatives and federal resources announced on Monday.
The administration is establishing a new entity to spearhead cybersecurity policy and communications that bolster cyber resilience in K-12 schools, called the Government Coordinating Council. The council will help schools prepare for and respond to cybersecurity attacks while facilitating formal collaboration efforts between federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments.
The Department of Education and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also co-authored three K-12 digital infrastructure briefs released on Monday, which provide guidance and recommended actions to secure digital infrastructure throughout the education system and keep school systems safe from cyber intrusions. The guidelines task everyone — from vendors and service providers to school administrators and students — with maintaining an accessible and resilient digital infrastructure and call for school systems to adopt a threat-informed, risk-based approach to cybersecurity.
Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, described the new initiatives on Sunday night during a call with reporters as “real, meaningful steps” that will help secure school systems’ digital infrastructure and “make it harder for bad actors to steal our students’ and educators’ sensitive information.”
