Kickstarting Your Cybersecurity Program with the Free K12 SIX Essentials

Developed with the input of K-12 IT practitioners, for K-12 IT practitioners—and aligned to cybersecurity risk management best practices—the K12 SIX Essentials series is designed to help school districts and other K-12 organizations kickstart their cybersecurity risk management programs.

This session will highlight key design decisions, features, and implementation suggestions for two of our most requested resources: the ‘K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections for the 2022-2023 School Year’ and the ‘K12 SIX Essential Cyber Incident Response Runbook.’

The ‘K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections for the 2022-2023 School Year’ establishes baseline cybersecurity standards for U.S. school districts and provides guidance and tools to support their implementation. Updated for the current school year, K12 SIX-recommended practices are designed to defend against the most common cyber threats facing school districts, including those identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and school insurance carriers.

The ‘K12 SIX Essential Cyber Incident Response Runbook’ addresses a common gap in school emergency operations and business continuity planning: responding to cyber incidents such as ransomware, phishing attacks, and data breaches. Tailored specifically to the needs and context of K-12 organizations, this template offers guidance for coordination with internal and external partners, stakeholder communications, and managing student-initiated incidents.

Resources shared and discussed during this session are freely available at: https://www.k12six.org/essentials-series