Presenters
Joel Handler has been a Director of Technology for over 19 years. He holds two masters degrees from Rutgers University. He has presented at numerous conferences including TEDx, ISTE, BETT, NY/NJ Google Apps Summit, TechspoNJ, NJASA and CoSN. Mr. Handler was a member of the 2015 CoSN Volunteer Hall of Fame. He has implemented a complete 1:1 program issuing over 7500 devices to everyone in grades K-12 since 2014. Under his leadership, the district has made great strides in technology integration and transforming the learning environment of all students.
Technology Integration Coordinator
Todd MacDonald is the Technology Integration Coordinator for Hillsborough Township Public Schools, where he oversees a K-12 1:1 Chromebook program and a peer-to-peer professional development program for teachers. He has been working in education technology for 12 years and holds a Masters Degree in Learning Technologies. He also has degrees in History (BA) and Geography (MA) and diverse work experience with roles that include a GIS Specialist for a navigation software company, a webmaster and database support specialist for a University, and a technology consultant in both public education and higher education.
Session description
In 2021 we were hit by a cyberattack, knocking out all services for several days. In this session, we will briefly discuss what happened, the vulnerabilities that we all face, what steps we took to get back online, our successful anti-phishing training program and plans for future safeguards.
Purpose & objective
Attendees will learn from our firsthand experience what it is like to live through a Ransomware Attack on a school district. They will see what is involved in recovering from such an event including: developing an action plan, planning for unexpected obstacles and what resources are available to assist in mitigation and recovery efforts. Additionally, attendees will learn about security awareness tools and strategies that can be implemented to help thwart possible future attacks in this ever-changing and growing threat to school districts.
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Outline
District background information (5 min)
Ransomware Attack details (20 min)
- When it happened
- How it happened
- What was impacted
Recovery Process (15 min)
New safeguards implemented (10 min)
- Infrastructure
- Training for staff
Q & A / Group Discussion (10 min)
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Supporting research
https://www.cyber.nj.gov/ - NJCICC
https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac - MS-ISAC
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