K-12 schools in Louisiana face unique cybersecurity challenges due to the state's high poverty rate, resource constraints, infrastructure weaknesses, and vulnerability to natural disasters. Public school systems in Louisiana have been particularly vulnerable to these attacks, with incidents of cyberattacks tripling in 2020 alone. The Louisiana…

Cybersecurity remains a critical concern for school systems nationwide, showing a consistent increase in publicly disclosed K-12 cyber incidents over the past 5 years. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment underscores this trend, predicting ongoing targeting of K-12 school networks by cyber actors who will…

Safe, secure, resilient, and accessible education system infrastructure, both physical and digital, is an essential factor for success. Yet, the digital infrastructure in the nation's K-12 schools is increasingly under threat from malicious cyber actors. This fact sheet: (1) describes the most common types of cyber threats currently facing school…

K-12 school districts are on the frontlines of cyber warfare, with many districts across America to become victims of phishing, social engineering, malware, and ransomware attacks. As a result, many districts have been forced to cease operations for extended periods of time, pay costly ransoms, and endure the embarrassment of having highly…

This phenomenological study's objective was to review the existing initiatives for cybersecurity awareness and training that are in place for the K-12 education system throughout the United States. Every facet of life is now plagued by the potential, perceived, and real threat of cyber warfare, which includes, but is not limited to, K-12 schools…

Existing research literature in computing and IT education shows that there has been limited work on investigating how offense based learning approaches using hacks can enhance learning of mobile security topics. In an effort to fill this research gap, we performed an experimental study with a unique, nifty user hack driven offense based learning…

Internet-enabled tools, cloud-based platforms, and digital communication devices have revolutionized the educational landscape but this digital transformation has increased students' exposure to cyber risks and threats exponentially. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between technology…

This is the third in a series of five briefs published by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology on the key considerations facing educational leaders as they work to build and sustain core digital infrastructure for learning. These briefs offer recommendations to complement the fundamental infrastructure considerations…

Elementary and secondary schools increasingly face an onslaught of ransomware and other cyberattacks, which jeopardize sensitive data and the integrity of their digital infrastructure. The consequences of these attacks can be severe and costly, eroding community trust, disrupting learning, and permanently damaging equipment. The alarming scope and…

This is the fourth in a series of five briefs published by Office of Education Technology (OET) on the key considerations facing educational leaders as they work to build and sustain core digital infrastructure for learning. These briefs offer recommendations to complement the fundamental infrastructure considerations outlined in the 2017 OET…

Project Tomorrow's® annual Speak Up Research Project has documented the evolution of technology use, both from an instructional and operational perspective, within K-12 education since 2003. Since 2017, the Speak Up results have also included a focus on K-12 districts' cybersecurity preparations. However, today, the combination of the expansion of…

The treatment of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of education has so far been typically characterized by (a) information about how AI can assist educators in carrying out their work, and (b) concerns about the misuse of AI by learners, for example, concerning plagiarism. The links between AI and ethics within the field of education are…

Many districts struggle to access the cybersecurity expertise or other resources needed to secure their networks and data appropriately. This isn't because mitigation strategies don't exist. Often, the barrage of suggestions and warnings directed at school IT leaders are too overwhelming to navigate, are not properly scoped for educational…

With the growth in digital teaching and learning, there has been a sharp rise in the number of cybersecurity attacks on K-12 school networks. This has demonstrated a need for security technologies and cybersecurity education. This study examined security technologies used, effective security practices, challenges, concerns, and wish list of…

Cyber threats have escalated in recent years. Many of these threats have been direct and vicious attacks on K-12 systems. Educators are rarely trained on how to address cyber threats from a systemic and educational perspective when such challenges arise in their school buildings. This article explains the cyber threats that are looming large for…