K12 Tech Talk

We have a number of listener emails that we address tonight. One is about shutting down SIS during off hours in an effort to protect it from attacks, one is about the Chrome net-export exploit, and the final one is about our retrospective on the COVID Years. We talk about CISA's new tabletop exercise template and how it would be fun to treat like it D&D: School Edition. We also talk about Black Hills Information Security's "Backdoors & Breaches" card game. We also talk about how "testing season" has changed over the last 5-7 years; from when devices were shared and testing was staggered to now when you can test an entire building in a few days. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email oschmidt@absolute.com Absolute Ransomware Response Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit NH CTO Clinic  

In this episode, the guys talk about key things to keep in mind when working with vendors to get Student Data Privacy Agreements signed. They also talk about the Clever outage on 4/6/2023. Josh also talks Chris into changing a Google Admin WiFi setting while riding in the car. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email oschmidt@absolute.com Absolute Audit Support Video Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

Chris is back after a suspension and traveling to the CoSN conference. He recaps some of the discussion and overall trending topics from the CoSN conference. He also discusses the fact that he did not appreciate Eric the Intern's love for walking everywhere in Austin (and other Eric antics). Josh talks about the 3CX phone system vulnerability that was published 3/29/2023 by CrowdStrike and Red Canary. Hint - If you have a 3CX phone system, you will want to look this issue up and mitigate it right away. Of course, ChatGPT makes it's way into conversation this week again too. Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Absolute - Email oschmidt@absolute.com Absolute Education Solutions Brief Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - X360 Cloud Solution for backing up Google Workspace Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

On this special episode (brought to you by ClassLink), Chris and Eric the Intern take a trip to Austin and spend the week at the CoSN conference! Because they interviewed so many and got such good content, we’ll be breaking this into two parts. You’ll hear from:   -Eric Nicklas, Program Manager, MOREnet -Don Ringelestein, CTO, Maine Township High School District 207, CoSN Board -Evangelina Mendoza, CTO, San Antonio Independent School District, CoSN Board -Tim Clark & Monica Watts, 1EdTech -Melody Lam, Learning Tools Developer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools -Dayna Aravich & Dan Stoneman, Gartner -Shahryar Khazei, retired CIO of Los Angeles Unified, CoSN Board -Tom Ryan, Co-Founder at K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group, former CIO of Albuquerque Public Schools, and member of the Council of Great City Schools -Jan Mills, Senior Vice President of Sales, ClassLink -Steve Langford, CIO, Beaverton School District, Retiring CoSN Chair -Marlo Gaddis, CTO, Wake County Public School System -Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN   ClassLink - Cybersecurity Rubric for Schools https://www.classlink.com/news/groundbreaking-new-cybersecurity-rubric-guides-schools-toward-improved-security-practices   ClassLink – DataGuard https://www.classlink.com/news/classlink-announces-dataguard-and-advanced-iam-tools

On this special episode (brought to you by ClassLink), Chris and Eric the Intern take a trip to Austin and spend the week at the CoSN conference! Because they interviewed so many and got such good content, we’ll be breaking this into two parts. You’ll hear from:   -Eric Nicklas, Program Manager, MOREnet -Don Ringelestein, CTO, Maine Township High School District 207, CoSN Board -Evangelina Mendoza, CTO, San Antonio Independent School District, CoSN Board -Tim Clark & Monica Watts, 1EdTech -Melody Lam, Learning Tools Developer, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools -Dayna Aravich & Dan Stoneman, Gartner -Shahryar Khazei, retired CIO of Los Angeles Unified, CoSN Board -Tom Ryan, Co-Founder at K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group, former CIO of Albuquerque Public Schools, and member of the Council of Great City Schools -Jan Mills, Senior Vice President of Sales, ClassLink -Steve Langford, CIO, Beaverton School District, Retiring CoSN Chair -Marlo Gaddis, CTO, Wake County Public School System -Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN   ClassLink - Cybersecurity Rubric for Schools https://www.classlink.com/news/groundbreaking-new-cybersecurity-rubric-guides-schools-toward-improved-security-practices   ClassLink – DataGuard https://www.classlink.com/news/classlink-announces-dataguard-and-advanced-iam-tools

In tonight's episode Josh, Mark, and Eric the Intern chat about CISA's new K12 Cyber Report and their 3 fundamental items that all districts should be tackling... *hint, hint* one is MFA. Josh talks about his 3 internet outages that took place in the last 10 days and how that is causing him to look at backup WAN connections. The guys also spend time talking about the 3 year anniversary of when schools first shut down for COVID. It's hard to believe that was 3 years ago this week! Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com (and join the Community). Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

Chris is on leave again this week, so Mark and Josh do their best to proceed without him.   Mark recaps the K12 SIX Conference that was held in Austin, Texas. Josh talks about trying to change a SSID over to WPA3 and it did not go well. They also talk about a new method students are using to attempt to crack WPA2 passphrases on Chromebooks using the chrome://net-export page. The majority of this episode is an interview that Chris and Mark conducted with Mr. Doug Levin, founder of K12 SIX. Doug sat down with the guys to talk about what K12 SIX offers to districts and what the goal of the conference is. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE Reddit

This is the second part of the interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO for LAUSD. In Episode 108 Interview Part One, we set the stage and talk through the first few days of the cyber incident that took place in September 2022. Go back and listen to Part One if you have not already. In this episode Soheil talks about bringing in the FBI and how their goal was not necessarily the same goal that Soheil and his team had. We also crack a few jokes about the news stories that said LAUSD "picked up the phone and called the Whitehouse" asking for more assistance from the Federal Government, and yes, it pretty much happened that way. We would like to thank Soheil for taking the time out of his schedule to grant us this interview. Like we said before, we are pretty certain this is the first and only one on one interview that Soheil has granted since the event took place, and we are VERY grateful that he was willing to talk to us. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

In part one of our exclusive 2-part interview on K12 Tech Talk, we sat down with Soheil Katal, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Los Angeles School District, to discuss the recent ransomware attack that rocked the district's systems and caused disruption for students and staff alike. Katal shared his firsthand account of the impact of the attack and the challenges of trying to restore the district's systems and data. But that's not all. Katal is a seasoned technology leader, and he shared his invaluable perspective on the broader issue of cybersecurity and how organizations can better protect themselves from ransomware attacks. In part two of this interview, which will publish next week, Katal provides deeper insights into the broader issue of cybersecurity, including practical steps that organizations can take to better protect themselves. He also discusses the importance of regular backups, employee training, and the need for a comprehensive security strategy. If you're an educator, IT professional, or simply someone who wants to learn more about how to protect yourself from cyber threats, you won't want to miss this 2-part interview. Katal provides valuable lessons and takeaways that you can apply in your own life and work. So stay tuned for part two of K12 Tech Talk's exclusive interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles School District, as he shares his insights and experiences in the wake of the district's recent ransomware attack. LISTEN HERE (and on all major podcast platforms). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

BIG NEWS! In this episode, we set up Episode 108, an interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles Unified School District. We are pretty certain this is the first one on one interview he has given, and we got it! As you can tell, we're excited. But first, in this episode, we mention a cheating scandal at a High School in Florida that involves... you guessed it... everyone's favorite AI bot, ChatGPT. We have a listener email about the blurred lines between door access control systems and security camera systems, and when is it an IT issue, a Maintenance issue, or a Safety issue. Come back for Episode 108 (and it will probably be split into two episodes). Hang out with us at K12TechPro.com Buy our merch!!! Vizor - 20% Off Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com SomethingCool.com - Cybersecurity Solutions Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com Provision Data Solutions Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE