K-12 Cybersecurity Insider | 7/14/2025 edition

Written By Doug Levin

A biweekly newsletter providing curated cybersecurity news to the K-12 community, as a public service of K12 SIX. Sign up for the K12 SIX mailing list to have future editions delivered to your inbox.

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In the News

Why Cybersecurity Should Come Before AI in Schools

AI is only one part of the tech that students touch every day. Teaching them how to navigate AI safely is undoubtedly important, given the role it's guaranteed to play in their future, but we must also help them understand the dangers of other key technologies that have become ubiquitous to everyday life. The sooner we integrate cybersecurity basics into school curriculum, the stronger and more resilient our children—and their futures—will be.

Texas District Shares Lessons Learned From a Ransomware Attack

At the ISTELive 25 Conference, Judson Independent School District staff spoke to attendees publicly about the Texas district’s 2021 ransomware attack, explaining how they responded in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the steps for long-term recovery, and how the lessons learned from their experience can assist other K–12 districts in shaping their cybersecurity strategies.

Compromised School District Email Accounts Used in Malware Campaign

When a cyber criminal compromises an individual teacher or administrator email account, what’s the worst that could happen? A recent report details how threat actors are using compromised accounts to phish others and deploy malware, taking advantage of the reputation of otherwise trusted users. Targeting Microsoft Windows users, threat actors behind the Remcos malware are doing just that.

Fast Facts

  • 40: U.S. K-12 ransomware victims claimed by threat actors (2025 to date) (source)

  • 31: Severe information technology vulnerabilities (CVSS Base Score 7.0+) disclosed in past week (source)

  • 6,851: Number of cybersecurity alerts - including software vulnerability and malware advisories - published in the K12 SIX member portal during the 2024-25 school year

Members Get More

The K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX) operates as the information sharing and analysis center (ISAC) exclusively for the K-12 education sector. Organizations eligible for membership include school districts, charter schools and charter management organizations, private/independent schools, regional education agencies, and state education agencies. K12 SIX members get more.

Doug Levin
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K-12 Cybersecurity Insider | 6/30/2025 edition