CISA Appoints K12 SIX Director Doug Levin to Federal Cybersecurity Advisory Committee
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has appointed K12 SIX Director Doug Levin to a two-year term on its Cybersecurity Advisory Committee (CSAC). The CSAC is comprised of experts on cybersecurity, technology, risk management, privacy, and resilience, who advise the CISA director on policies and programs related to CISA’s mission. In this role, Levin will advise on the unique cybersecurity needs and threats impacting the U.S. K-12 education sector and lend his expertise to guide policy and programs to support “target-rich, cyber-poor” entities across the nation.
“I’m deeply honored to be appointed by Director Easterly to CISA’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee and pledge to help CISA build out programs and services to strengthen the cybersecurity capacity of schools to better protect students, teachers, and their families from emerging cybersecurity threats,” said Doug Levin.
Working in partnership, both CISA and K12 SIX have recently taken steps to support school districts. CISA released the landmark report “Protecting Our Future: Partnering to Safeguard K-12 Organizations from Cybersecurity Threats” that recommends school district leaders take immediate action to strengthen cyber risk management practices, including implementing essential cybersecurity protections like multifactor authentication and engaging with a threat information sharing community of peers. Meanwhile, K12 SIX has updated its K12 SIX Essentials Series to align with CISA’s cross-sector performance goals.
Since 2016 K12 SIX has cataloged more than 1,600 K-12 cyber incidents, resulting in school closures, student and educator data breaches, and the theft of millions of dollars. Due to a lack of federal and state public reporting requirements, this figure—as alarming as it is—understates the magnitude of the challenge facing school districts. The unfortunate reality is that many school systems lack the personnel, resources, and expertise to adequately defend their communities from evolving cybersecurity threats.
“There is a lot of work to be done to shore up the cybersecurity defenses of school systems, but I’ve been heartened by growing awareness of the issue and the commitment of partners in government and the private sector who are taking steps to stem the tide,” added Levin.