Center for Internet Security Partners with State and Federal Cyber Experts to Offer Security Solutions for K-12 Schools

Roundtable discussion outlines no- and low-cost options for districts in Michigan 

LANSING, Mich., April 16, 2024 – The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®), National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr., and members of Michigan’s K-12 education community joined forces in a roundtable discussion convened by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) to discuss ways to strengthen the cybersecurity of school districts across the state.

This collaborative effort provided Coker with the opportunity to speak with K-12 school representatives about the challenges they face, as well as the efforts underway in Michigan to protect school data.

According to the most recent report by CIS’s Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center^® (MS-ISAC^®), 81% of responding schools said they struggle with a lack of sufficient cybersecurity funding.

“We see K-12 schools as one of the most targeted sectors across the MS-ISAC for the data they hold and the known resource constraints they have,” said Karen Sorady, Vice President of MS-ISAC Strategy and Plans at CIS. “It’s a pleasure to join with the Office of the National Cyber Director and the State of Michigan to broaden awareness among this critical infrastructure subsector of the resources available to help them increase their cybersecurity posture.”

CIS offers no-cost MS-ISAC membership for K-12 public schools and access to a 24x7x365 Security Operations Center that includes threat intelligence, detection, and response assistance, as well as webinars and training.

DTMB offers a Cybersecurity Resource Hub to connect schools with state and federal resources for the K-12 community.

“Cybersecurity is a team effort, and our number one priority is keeping our networks and data safe, secure, and private,” said Laura Clark, Chief Information Officer for the State of Michigan. “We are grateful to Director Coker and our federal partners for taking the time to travel to Michigan and talk one-on-one with our K-12 community. We have to work together to collectively strengthen our defenses when it comes to combatting the threat actors exploiting our digital environments.”

Additional CIS resources offered at no- and low-cost for K-12 public schools include:

• MDBR: Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting (MDBR) is a web security solution available at no cost to U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government organizations, including K-12 schools, that is highly effective in preventing connection to known malicious sites online. MDBR can be implemented in an organization’s IT environment in less than 15 minutes.
• Cybersecurity Services offered by CIS: The Center for Internet Security (CIS) offers K-12 schools numerous low-cost services to assist in securing their IT environments, including Albert Network Monitoring and Management, CIS Endpoint Security Services, and MDBR+, a web-security solution with advanced features including real-time reporting and custom configurations.
• Cyber Advisory Services Program (CASP):  CIS is offering a new program, CASP, for under-resourced SLTT organizations, including K-12 schools, that provides access to cybersecurity experts for the purpose of helping these organizations navigate the challenges of cybersecurity and enhance their cyber posture.
• CIS Industry Page for Educational Institutions: CIS has launched a new page on cisecurity.org to guide educational institutions, including K-12 schools, in meeting the various challenges they face—aligning common pain points with available solutions and cybersecurity best practices.

For more information about the Center for Internet Security, MS-ISAC, or resources available to K-12 public schools, please contact Kelly Wyland, Sr. Media Relations Manager at [email protected] or call/text 518-256-6978.