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K-12 schools in the United States are facing nationwide, according to the Department of Education. These attacks disrupt learning, expose sensitive data, and strain already limited resources. To make matters worse, schools are also seeing rising cyber insurance costs—, and nearly a quarter are dealing with increased deductibles.

Here’s some good news: one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your district is already available—Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

MFA Adoption is On the Rise for a Reason 

The numbers speak for themselves. According to the Consortium on School Networking (CoSN), over 72% of school districts now use MFA—a 32% increase since 2022. What’s driving this growth? MFA is effective. By adding one extra layer of security beyond passwords, it prevents unauthorized access, even if a password is stolen through phishing or brute-force attacks. 

The Industry Challenge You’re Facing 

Cybersecurity risks are a growing concern for K-12 schools. Technology is now a central part of education, from internet-connected devices used for lessons to the management of sensitive student records. Cyberattacks are not only disruptive—they’re expensive. 

Hackers target schools with ransomware or steal sensitive data, and the fallout can be significant. Districts often face higher cyber insurance premiums and can lose access to critical ed-tech tools for days or weeks, causing major disruptions. 

The question is, are K-12 leaders doing enough to tackle these risks directly?

Practical, Low-Cost Solutions All Schools Should Use 

The good news is that many of the best cybersecurity measures are low-cost or even free. Beyond adopting MFA, here are some simple yet highly effective recommended by the Department of Education:

1. Keep Software Updated (Patching): Ensuring operating systems and applications are running the latest updates helps defend against known vulnerabilities. 
2. Use Strong Passwords: Encourage staff and students to adopt complex, unique passwords and implement password managers for easy handling.
3. Combat Phishing, Vishing, and Smishing: Provide ongoing training to staff to recognize and report fraudulent emails, calls, and text messages. Education is your first line of defense. 
4. Join MS-ISAC: The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center provides K-12 schools free and low-cost tools, resources, and real-time threat intelligence to combat cybercrime. Support your staff with actionable data when they need it most. 

Why MFA Stands Out as a Game-Changer 

While patching, strong passwords, and phishing education are important, MFA directly tackles one of the biggest security risks—stolen credentials. Without MFA, a single stolen password can grant access to sensitive student and district data. With MFA in place, unauthorized users are stopped from the start. 

The best part?

MFA is easy to set up with modern tools. It integrates smoothly across your systems, providing strong security without making things complicated for users.

Take Control of Your District’s Cybersecurity 

By adopting MFA and following these straightforward steps, leaders can immediately strengthen their district’s cybersecurity posture without breaking the budget.

Learn how ̽»¨´óÉñ can help your school or district improve security, deploy MFA quickly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. Sign up for a free trial today.

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