The tool is a protective domain name system (PDNS) that prevents school computers from connecting to harmful sites. It’s something every school should use, according to White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr., who was in Rhode Island Monday to announce that the state will be the first in the nation to bring the government’s free PDNS service to all its public schools.
“Rhode Island is stepping up to lead the way taking advantage of these free federal resources on behalf of every public school district in the state,” Coker said in a public statement. “The partnerships at the federal, state and local level exemplify a collaboration committed to keeping students, teachers, administrators and their data safe from evolving cyber threats.”
He added that any K-12 public school in the U.S. can sign up to receive the free cybersecurity service, offered through the federally funded Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which calls its PDNS service Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting.
The beauty of PDNS services is that they can prevent cyber attacks with no oversight needed from the school, according to a website from the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD).
“The PDNS service provider updates the list of malicious domains that are being blocked on behalf of the customer behind the scenes,” the website says. “A PDNS service doesn’t generate an alert a school system needs to follow up on — it prevents a bad connection from ever being made, stopping attacks before they happen.”
This free, low-maintenance tool may appeal to public schools, as they are a top target for cyber attacks and often lack funding for cybersecurity personnel and equipment. Rhode Island’s own Providence Public School District, for example, fell victim to a cyber attack this fall.
“According to the U.S. Department of Education, every week, school districts average five cyber incidents,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a public statement. “Rhode Island is making a statewide push for every local education agency to commit to some simple but effective strategies that help protect our data from those threats.”
The ONCD has stressed that a PDNS service is only one part of an effective cybersecurity system, and schools should reach out to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and MS-ISAC for further guidance and information on other free or low-cost resources.
