Imagine your school district experiences a cybersecurity event, such as a data breach.
These questions, among others, are essential to protecting sensitive data. But, if your security team isn’t well-prepared, you may end up scrambling for answers.
Fortunately, you don’t have to search high and low if you already have a cyber incident response policy to reference. Think of it as a blueprint for mitigating cyber threats before the damage is done.
In this guide, we’ll explain the purpose of a cyber incident response policy, the downfalls of not having one, and how your school district can kick-start the process.
An incident response policy, or information security policy, is a document that specifies how an organization prepares itself to detect and resolve cyber threats. This includes any potential security incident that compromises institutional data, such as a malicious insider, accidental data leak, external data breach, or ransomware attack.
The incident response policy is a precursor to a more detailed document called the incident response plan (IRP). In short, the IRP describes the exact protocols and procedures a security team should follow when mitigating a cybersecurity threat. For example, this may involve isolating the affected system, containing the threat, or notifying law enforcement.
Incident response planning is an essential component of incident management, which aims to strategically minimize an event’s damage. In K-12, that means limiting the impact security incidents may have on students, staff members, the school district, or the community overall.
Critically, the incident response plan identifies the exact individuals responsible for executing its procedures. These stakeholders are known as the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT). Moreover, it details how and when they must perform certain responsibilities, such as filing reports or escalating the event to a higher level of severity.
Why does this matter? Because, during an active data breach, speed and efficiency make all the difference. Knowing what to do at a moment’s notice is key to containing the threat and preventing it from accessing sensitive data. Plus, it can save you from having to enact disaster recovery protocols, which are reserved for major hardware or system failures.
To demonstrate the value of incident response planning, let’s consider the obstacles an average K-12 information technology (IT) department faces when managing cybersecurity:
In a nutshell, these hurdles are what a cyber incident response policy aims to avoid. Failure to address these concerns or establish an effective incident response process can lead to severe consequences:
Creating an incident response policy from scratch is difficult. Luckily, organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have pre-established frameworks you can use to get started.
The NIST Incident Response framework is a four-step process. Let’s review each phase individually to better understand their core components:
As the name implies, this phase involves ensuring your district is ready for a future incident. The better you prepare, the better chance you have of an effective incident response.
You may perform several activities at this stage, such as:
You can’t eliminate cyber threats if you’re unaware of them or don’t know what you’re dealing with. That’s why detection and analysis are two of the most vital incident response procedures. Without them, you’re essentially shooting blind into the void.
According to the NIST framework, this phase involves monitoring your environment for abnormalities and suspicious activity. For instance, a student account may be downloading a lot of files — possibly indicating a cyber attack.
Critically, gathering evidence during this process allows you to confirm the threat and classify its severity. You wouldn’t approach a phishing attack the same you would a ransomware strike. In other words, analyzing the risk potential helps you decide the best course of action.
This step includes three subphases:
The security incident may be over, but there’s more work to be done. This phase is an opportunity to grow from the experience. How? By evaluating the team’s performance, gathering lessons learned, and incorporating them back into the IR plan.
Glossing over this step is a big mistake. The insights you learn could help you manage a future incident more effectively, avoiding negative outcomes in the process.
At ManagedMethods, our goal is to make incident response as straightforward as possible for K-12 school districts. So, we’ve developed two solutions that can help you expedite response protocols and get ahead of emerging risks.
With a platform like Cloud Monitor, you gain deep visibility over your cloud domains. Whether it be Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or both, you can leverage data loss prevention capabilities to keep personally identifiable information under lock and key. It scans your environment for risky activity and alerts you when a policy violation occurs, allowing you to leap into action.
Content Filter, on the other hand, is a browser-based web filtering tool that blocks inappropriate content on student devices. That way, nobody’s accessing dangerous websites — especially those designed to steal their sensitive data.
The result? Early visibility into your threat landscape and a pivotal first line of defense. With Content Filter on the frontlines and Cloud Monitor patrolling the skies, you’re well-protected from cyber threats both internally and externally.
To help make your life even easier, we’ve developed a cyber incident response plan template. Made specifically for K-12, it’s sure to kick-start your IR policy and bring your cybersecurity strategy up to speed.