Keeping K-12 Cybersecure–the newsletter of the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center–curates the best cybersecurity and privacy news for K-12 policymakers, administrators, IT professionals, vendors, and privacy advocates. The latest edition (“Keeping #K12CyberSecure [#21]: Total Registration, Totally Truthful?“) provides information on recent updates to the K-12 Cyber Incident Map, other additions to the Resource Center, and curated news you can use.
While there’s much more available in the newsletter itself, here’s a sampling of the must-read articles published since last edition:
- Read a first-person account of an anonymous student hacker in a new series by Allie Conti of Vice: “Teens Hacked Their Teacher’s Computer to Change Grades for Money.”
- Content filtering is hard, part 59126423656: “Eanes ISD Parents Outraged Over Tablet Security“
- It’s 5 pm. Do you know what Johnny is doing online? Your school might. “Schools Are Safer Than Ever, But That’s Not Stopping Schools From Buying Social Media Monitoring Software.” [corrected link]
- Beyond the Total Registration incident, there has been reporting that has implicated the IT security and privacy practices of a number of edtech vendors recently, including Amazon (“Amazon Echo Dot Kids Violates Privacy Rules, Advocates Claim“), Choicelunch (“School Lunch Baron Allegedly Hacked Students’ Data to Take Down His Competitor“), Khan Academy (“Critical Flaws in Khan Academy Opened Door to Account Takeovers“), and Questar (“Utah knew the company it picked to create standardized tests had a history of crashes and cyberattacks. It signed a $44 million contract anyway“).
- Is the U.S. Congress getting closer to a passing an update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)? Some think so (“Finally, child data privacy could get much-needed reform in new bill“).
- The notion that K-12 cybersecurity is deserving of greater attention seems to be catching on:
- Cybersecurity experts generally recommend password management software as the most secure way to track and maintain online passwords; still, 65% of internet users say that memorization is the main or only way they keep track of their online passwords.
- I’m very thankful for the work of these individuals (one of whom was the first to break the Total Registration news story): “Your most sensitive data is likely exposed online. These people try to find it.”
Be sure to check out the full newsletter and sign-up to ensure you get all the latest news direct to your inbox. And, as always, please contact us with any feedback, tips, or suggestions.