Want to keep your K-12 district cyber safe? Prioritize IAM

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It’s mid-term exam week at a bustling middle school. A new front office staff member receives an email from someone posing as the principal, claiming to be locked out of the student information system (SIS). Trusting the request, the employee clicks the malicious link included in the message and unknowingly shares their login credentials.

Within hours, ransomware encrypts critical systems across the entire district, and a payment demand arrives — threatening to leak sensitive student data. The disruption spreads quickly: cafeteria staff lose access to meal tracking tools; buses can’t be dispatched; and teachers are cut off from instructional materials. The district’s operations grind to a halt, leaving working parents scrambling and students facing disrupted routines and uncertainty.

IT systems in K-12 districts underpin far more than business operations

As the backbone of daily learning, safety, and essential services, when school districts’ IT infrastructure is breached, the fallout impacts entire communities.

Just in September 2025 alone:

• A Michigan school district serving 8,400 students closed for three days after a security incident disabled phones, network communications, and digital infrastructure vital to safe operations.
• A south Texas school district serving over 4,000 students — nearly 60% economically disadvantaged — shut down for a full week due to a ransomware attack that disrupted Wi-Fi, air conditioning, security cameras, visitor management systems, and payroll.
• A Virginia school district serving nearly 4,000 students had 305GB of sensitive data stolen, including financial records, grant documents, budgets, and children’s medical files.

High-profile events like these may dominate headlines, but the attacks themselves are often just the result of cybercriminals exploiting weaknesses in how user identities and accounts are managed. These incidents point to the critical need for K-12 districts to prioritize IAM in their digital environments.

IAM: An overlooked entry point for K-12 cyberattacks

Think of a school district’s digital infrastructure as the doors and hallways of a school building. You can install the best security cameras and alarms, but if the doors are left unlocked or keys are handed out carelessly, anyone can walk right in. In cybersecurity for school districts, IAM is that set of doors and keys — controlling who gets in, what they can access, and how their activity is monitored.

Common IAM vulnerabilities in K-12 districts include:

• shared logins or generic accounts for staff and students;
• lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA);
• unmanaged guest or contractor access;
• outdated or inactive user accounts;
• insufficient monitoring of login activity; and
• poor password policies.

Though many districts may see themselves in this list, there is a path forward. For a growing number of K-12 districts — including some of the largest in the U.S. — a robust cybersecurity defense starts with strengthening identity and access management.

Tightening up your IAM controls means asking critical questions, like:

• Where are there overly broad permissions in our systems?
• What are the levels of access or privilege assigned to accounts in our environment?
• How is role-based access control (RBAC) enforced to prevent privilege creep?
• Which accounts have elevated or administrative privileges, and are they properly monitored?
• How often are IAM policies and user permissions audited and updated?
• How frequently are login activities and access logs reviewed for suspicious behavior?
• What systems are in place to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts in real-time?

By addressing these questions and vulnerabilities, districts can significantly reduce their risk and build a more resilient cybersecurity posture.

Securing your district means prioritizing IAM alongside physical safety

This year, for the first time in its seven editions of the Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools, the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) introduced a dedicated digital infrastructure layer within its five-layer school security model. While PASS’s guidelines have historically focused on physical security, this update signals a broader shift in K-12 districts toward recognizing “the importance of cybersecurity and attentive management of digital systems and data.”

Like PASS, SHI Public Sector believes prioritizing your approach to IAM is just as critical as prioritizing physical security. With frequent student enrollments, graduations, and ongoing staff changes, managing the identities and accounts that access critical school systems is imperative.

To strengthen your IAM, consider these five technical best practices:

1. Adopt a zero-trust policy and principle of least privilege (PLP) model.

Zero-trust policies require continuous verification of user identities and access rights, while PLP ensures users receive only the permissions necessary for their roles.

• Implement granular role-based access control (RBAC).
• Regularly review group memberships to prevent privilege creep.
• Segment your network to limit lateral movement by attackers.
• Require reauthentication for access to sensitive resources.

2. Enforce MFA.

MFA is a part of a broader IAM-focused approach that reduces the risk of credential-based attacks.

• Require MFA for all users, especially those accessing critical systems or sensitive data.
• Integrate MFA with single sign-on (SSO) solutions to streamline user experience.
• Actively monitor MFA fatigue or bypass attempts.
• Ensure compatibility with mobile devices and remote access.

3. Conduct regular penetration testing and security assessments.

Penetration testing helps identify vulnerabilities by simulating real-world attack scenarios.

• Schedule penetration tests annually (at least) and after major system changes.
• Use both internal and external testers to uncover IAM configuration weaknesses.
• Periodically change your external testing provider for fresh perspectives.
• Supplement penetration testing with automated vulnerability scanning and tabletop exercises.

4. Implement robust onboarding and offboarding processes.

Effective IAM focuses on reducing the risk of dormant accounts that could be exploited.

• Automate account provisioning and deprovisioning for joiners, movers, and leavers (JML) using tools like Microsoft Active Directory, Azure AD, or other identity governance platforms.
• Integrate IAM systems with HR and SIS systems to synchronize user status changes.
• Regularly audit for inactive, orphaned, or duplicate accounts, and apply group policies and RBAC to enforce PLP.

5. Monitor and analyze identity activity.

Centralized logging and monitoring of login attempts, privilege escalation, and unusual access patterns are essential for maturing and sustaining your IAM defense.

• Use security information and event management (SIEM) tools to correlate identity events with other security data and gain real-time visibility into potential threats.
• Set up alerts for suspicious activity, including repeated failed logins, access from unexpected locations, and attempts to bypass authentication controls.
• Conduct regular reviews of audit logs to identify and investigate anomalies and ensure compliance with district policies.

Why K-12 districts can’t afford to ignore IAM

Cyberattacks don’t just disrupt IT systems — they drain time, money, and resources that districts simply don’t have to spare. Recent data underscores the urgency for K-12 districts to make IAM a central part of their cybersecurity strategy.

Attacks are escalating:

Zscaler ThreatLabz’s 2025 Ransomware Report revealed a 25.8% year-over-year rise in ransomware extortion attacks against the education sector, making it the tenth most targeted industry for ransomware.

Incidents are pervasive:

The Center for Internet Security’s 2025 Cybersecurity Report found that 82% of the 5,000 K-12 organizations it analyzed experienced cyber incidents over 18 months.

Financial losses are common:

Cisco Duo’s latest State of Identity Security study found that 51% of organizations suffered financial losses due to identity-related breaches.

Ransomware costs are staggering:

Sophos found the median cost of ransomware demands against K-12 institutions was $1M. Although this is lower than previous years, the overall decrease in large ransom demands suggests attackers are now targeting smaller, quicker payouts — rather than backing off.

How SHI can help you prioritize IAM in your district

Across the country, K-12 districts work tirelessly to provide students with an educational foundation. Yet without secure digital infrastructure, key priorities like providing consistent learning opportunities, safeguarding sensitive data, and delivering essential services can all be compromised.

SHI helps districts strengthen their IT foundation by prioritizing IAM in the following ways:

1. Identifying security gaps and enhancing identity visibility.

You can’t effectively manage your district’s identity access if you don’t have visibility. SHI offers a free Identity Maturity Workshop to help K-12 districts assess their current IAM practices, identify gaps, and develop a tailored IAM roadmap for the future. Additionally, SHI’s latest ebook, The modern IAM playbook, is a great resource to begin crafting your unified identity strategy across lifecycle management, governance, authentication, privileged access, cloud identity, customer IAM, and identity threat detection and response.

2. Securing the funds for technology projects.

With over 30 years of partnering with K-12 institutions, SHI’s Public Sector team understands the financial challenges districts face. Through our Grant Support Program — run in partnership with the Grants Office — we help districts navigate funding opportunities and provide customized grant reports with tailored information on how to secure funding for IAM initiatives.

3. Selecting the right cybersecurity provider.

SHI’s vendor-neutral approach and decades of partner experience give districts access to the insight and expertise from a deep portfolio of leading IAM solution providers. We work alongside you to imagine, experiment, and adopt the technology that is aligned with your cybersecurity needs and budget.

NEXT STEPS

Ready to put identity first in your district’s cybersecurity strategy?

Speak with a cybersecurity expert from SHI’s Public Sector today.