Staying Cybersecure: A Message for District Leaders
As National Cybsersecurity Awareness Month wraps up, the DPI thanks you for continuing to remind staff, students, and families that cybersecurity matters every day.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin districts – like those across the country – remain targets for cybercriminals. Threats range from phishing and fraud to ransomware, harassment, and even foreign actors probing for weaknesses. A single wrong click can disrupt school operations or expose sensitive data.
While cyberattacks are now a fact of life, every district can take practical steps to prepare and reduce risk. The DPI has compiled the information below to help with your cybersecurity efforts.
Build Awareness
- Cybersecurity starts with people. Make sure that staff know your district’s policies and follow basic cyber hygiene:
- Use strong, private passwords and multi-factor authentication.
- Keep work and personal internet use separate.
- Don’t click links, open attachments, or share information from unexpected messages – even if they appear to come from someone you know.
- Bad actors often use social engineering – exploiting trust or urgency – and are now using deepfakes to impersonate familiar voices or faces. Encourage staff to slow down, verify, and report anything suspicious.
Maintain Systems
- Strong defenses also depend on technology hygiene:
- Keep software up to date.
- Monitor critical systems for unusual activity.
- Back up important data securely and off-network.
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) continues to offer support through its State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, which helps schools strengthen these protections.
Plan for Recovery
- Every district should know how to respond when an incident occurs.
- Back up and protect critical data.
- Create a recovery plan to restore systems and communicate clearly during an outage.
- Understand your insurance coverage and how to quickly contact law enforcement or the Wisconsin Cyber Response Team.
- Meet in advance with your bank and law enforcement partners to plan for possible fraud or ransomware incidents.
- Most importantly: talk through scenarios with your staff so everyone knows what to do before an emergency happens.
Support Your Technology Teams
- We recognize how many prioritize you juggle on a daily basis. Please continue to priotize cybersecurity by giving your technology directors and staff the time, resources, and support they need. Their work keeps your schools – and your communities – safe.
For questions or more information, please reach out to DPI Chief Information Security Officer Paul Neff (paul.neff@dpi.wi.gov; 608-267-9160).
Key Resources
State of Wisconsin
- DPI Cyber Security Resources Site
- Wisconsin Cyber Response Team (CRT) : 24-Hour Duty Officer (800-943-0003 ; option 2). Tell them you have a cyber incident.
- The 2025 Governor’s Cybersecurity Summit: March 7-8, 2026, at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center in Appleton.
- CISA’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program : The next round of applications is expected to open in early November 2025.
Federal and National Resources
- CISA: Protecting Our Future: Partnering to Safeguard K-12 Organizations from Cybersecurity Threats (Essential recommendations and toolkit designed for K-12)
- CISA Resources and DHS Grants related to K-12 schools
- CISA Cyber Essentials Starter Kit (Cyber Essentials guide and NIST best practices for leaders)
- CISA Cybersecurity Best Practices
- stopransomware.gov (resources for ransomware prevention and response)
Other Resources
- Infragard Milwaukee chapter – get to know your FBI Field Office
- U.S. Secret Service guides to preventing and responding to cybercrime
- U.S. Department of Education Resources
- Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) – now fee-based, but provides many services useful to K-12 districts
Thank you for your ongoing leadership in keeping Wisconsin’s schools cybersecure.