CYBERSECURITY
Arp ISD Cybersecurity Policy
Policy brief & purpose
Arp ISD cybersecurity policy outlines our guidelines and provisions for preserving the security of our data and technology infrastructure.
The more we rely on technology to collect, store and manage information, the more vulnerable we become to severe security breaches. Human errors, hacker attacks, and system malfunctions could cause great financial damage and may jeopardize Arp ISD’s reputation.
For this reason, we have implemented a number of security measures. We have also prepared instructions that may help mitigate security risks. We have outlined both provisions in this policy.
Scope
This policy applies to all our employees, contractors, volunteers and anyone who has permanent or temporary access to our systems and hardware.
Policy elements
Confidential data
Confidential data is secret and valuable. Common examples are:
Unpublished financial information
Data of customers/partners/vendors
Patents, formulas or new technologies
Customer lists (existing and prospective)
All employees are obliged to protect this data. In this policy, we will give our employees instructions on how to avoid security breaches.
Protect personal and district devices
When employees use their digital devices to access district emails or accounts, they introduce security risk to our data. We advise our employees to keep both their personal and district-issued computer, tablet and cell phone secure. They can do this if they:
Keep all devices password protected.
Keep antivirus software and Ninite (patches) up-to-date.
Ensure they do not leave their devices exposed or unattended.
Install security & Operating System updates of browsers and systems monthly or as soon as updates are available.
Log into district accounts and systems through secure and private networks only. Avoid public networks when logging into distinct email or File Stream. You are opening up your account to hackers on Public Network.
We also advise our employees to avoid accessing internal systems and accounts from other people’s devices or lending their own devices to others.
When new hires receive district-issued equipment they will receive instructions for:
Acceptable Use & Security Workshops
Device Administrative Password
Installation of updates & Ninite
They should follow instructions to protect their devices and refer to our IT Department if they have any questions.
Keep emails safe
Emails often host scams and malicious software (e.g. worms.) To avoid virus infection or data theft, we instruct employees to:
Avoid opening attachments and clicking on links when the content is not adequately explained (e.g. “watch this video, it’s amazing.”)
Be suspicious of clickbait titles (e.g. offering prizes, advice.)
Check email and names of people they received a message from to ensure they are legitimate.
Look for inconsistencies or give-aways (e.g. grammar mistakes, capital letters, an excessive number of exclamation marks.)
If an employee isn’t sure that an email they received is safe, they can refer to our IT Director.
Manage passwords properly
Password leaks are dangerous since they can compromise our entire infrastructure. Not only should passwords be secure so they won’t be easily hacked, but they should also remain secret. For this reason, we advise our employees to:
Choose passwords with at least eight characters (including capital and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols) and avoid information that can be easily guessed (e.g. birthdays.)
Remember passwords instead of writing them down. If employees need to write their passwords, they are obliged to keep the paper or digital document confidential and destroy it when their work is done.
Exchange credentials only when absolutely necessary. When exchanging them in-person isn’t possible, employees should prefer the phone instead of email, and only if they personally recognize the person they are talking to.
Change their passwords every two months.
Remembering a large number of passwords can be daunting. Chrome services can be your password management tool which generates and stores passwords. Employees are obliged to create a secure password for the tool itself, following the above mentioned advice.
Transfer data securely
Transferring data introduces a security risk. Employees must:
Avoid transferring sensitive data (e.g. student information, employee records) to other devices or accounts unless absolutely necessary. When a mass transfer of such data is needed, we request employees to ask our IT Department for help.
Share confidential data over the district network/ system and not over public Wi-Fi or private connection.
Ensure that the recipients of the data are properly authorized people or organizations and have adequate security policies.
Report scams, privacy breaches, and hacking attempts
Arp ISD Technology Department needs to know about scams, breaches, and malware so they can better protect our infrastructure. For this reason, we advise our employees to report perceived attacks, suspicious emails or phishing attempts as soon as possible to our specialists. Our IT Department must investigate promptly, resolve the issue and send a districtwide alert when necessary.
Security Specialists are responsible for advising employees on how to detect scam emails. We encourage our employees to reach out to them with any questions or concerns.
Additional measures
To reduce the likelihood of security breaches, we also instruct our employees to:
Lock their devices when leaving their desks.
Report stolen or damaged equipment as soon as possible to IT Department.
Change all account passwords at once when a device is stolen.
Report a perceived threat or possible security weakness in the district-owned systems.
Refrain from downloading suspicious, unauthorized or illegal software on district equipment.
Avoid accessing suspicious websites.
We also expect our employees to comply with our social media and internet usage policy.
Our Network Administrators will:
Install firewalls, anti-malware software, and access authentication systems.
Arrange for security training to all employees.
Inform employees regularly about new scam emails or viruses and ways to combat them.
Investigate security breaches thoroughly.
Follow these policies provisions as other employees do.
Arp ISD will have all physical and digital shields to protect information as required by Criminal Justice Security Policies.
Remote employees
Remote students and employees (under BYOD Policy) must follow this policy’s instructions too. Since they will be accessing Arp ISD’s accounts and systems from a distance, they are obliged to follow all data encryption, protection standards, and settings, and ensure their private network is secure.
We encourage them to seek advice from our IT Administrators.
Disciplinary Action
We expect all our employees to always follow this policy and those who cause security breaches may face disciplinary action:
First-time, unintentional, small-scale security breach: We may issue a verbal warning and further train the employee on security.
Intentional, repeated or large scale breaches (which cause severe financial or other damage): We will invoke more severe disciplinary action up to and including termination and possible criminal charges.
The District Administration will examine each incident on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, employees who are observed to disregard our security instructions will face progressive discipline, even if their behavior hasn’t resulted in a security breach.
Take security seriously
Everyone, from our students, employees, contractors, and partners to our district, should feel that their data is safe. The only way to gain trust is to proactively protect our systems and databases. We can all contribute to this by being vigilant and keeping cybersecurity top of mind.
FURTHER READING