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CybersecurityManagementSecurity NewswireTechnologies & SolutionsSecurity Leadership and ManagementLogical SecurityCybersecurity NewsEducation: K-12

Top 4 obstacles to K-12 cybersecurity

By Madeline Lauver
school students learn on computers
March 21, 2022

Increasing cybersecurity awareness and shifting security cultures from reactive to proactive are paramount to bolstering security in K-12 environments, according to a new report.

The "Creating a Common Culture of Action Around Cybersecurity: 2021 National K-12 Education Cybersecurity Report" from Project Tomorrow and iboss identified goals for K-12 cybersecurity leaders and school administrators, as well as the top challenges of implementing cybersecurity initiatives in educational institutions.

The report surveyed a combination of 599 technology leaders and school administrators about their districts' technology use and cybersecurity practices and awareness levels.

Challenges of K-12 cybersecurity

The report identified the following four obstacles to cybersecurity in K-12 environments:

  1. Balancing educational resource access with security
  2. Lack of teacher and administrator cybersecurity awareness
  3. A reactive, rather than proactive, security culture
  4. Lack of understanding regarding cybersecurity risks and cyberattacks

Goals for K-12 security leaders and school administrators

In additions to outlining the challenges of K-12 cybersecurity, the report also found goals for school administrators and cybersecurity leaders to strive towards as they secure their institutions from cyber threats.

  • Create a cybersecurity plan that foregrounds concern, responsibility and accountability.
  • Reassess and identify all technology assets.
  • Increase funding for security readiness, awareness and mitigation.

For more report findings, click here.

KEYWORDS: cyber attack cyber security awareness K12 security risk assessment school cyber security

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Madeline Lauver is a former Editor in Chief at Security magazine. Within her role at Security, Lauver focused on news articles, web exclusives, features and several departments for Security’s monthly digital edition, as well as managing social media and multimedia content.

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