School safety is always a top priority for parents and administrators, and as a new academic year draws near, cybersecurity is getting attention.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a roundtable in New Hampshire, where experts highlighted ways to improve federal collaboration to protect schools from cyberattacks.

The attacks have wide-ranging impacts, but a combination of ransomware and data exfiltration is becoming most common. This sort of attack involves rendering a network inoperable and the theft of data if a ransom isn’t paid.  

Experts say one in every three school districts across the U.S. have dealt with a cyberattack.

“Things that I keep hearing is we’re too small, it’ll never happen here,” New Hampshire Cybersecurity Adviser Richard Rossi said. ”And the message is, the adversary gets a vote in that.”

In New York, the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services monitors cyberattacks. Experts there say it's all about resources.

“Maintaining a secure environment requires a fair amount of constant monitoring of not only your system, but all the applications you’re using,” said Ben Voce-Gardner, director of the Office of Counter Terrorism, “ensuring they’re up to date and ensuring that they’re all configured in such a way as to ensure your system is as secure as it can be.”

He said school districts are becoming more of a target. He say vulnerability often comes down to a lack resources dedicated to cybersecurity.

“With the advent of remote learning post-COVID, a lot more new applications have come online,” he said. “That creates new opportunities for adversaries to attack and new vulnerabilities. We have a lot of school districts still learning how to manage."