On Thursday, January 12, 2023, the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) hosted a half-day Cyber Insurance and Incident Response Workshop for school leaders across Berks County to discuss the topic of cyber liability insurance. The event focused on the role cyber liability insurance plays in protecting school districts in the event of cyber attacks or data breaches, and how the insurance covers the costs schools could face in the wake of cybersecurity incidents.
Presenters for the workshop included Ms. Shan Schafle, Partner at Mullen Coughlin LLC; Mr. Josh Daly, Risk Management Consultant at Arthur J. Gallagher; and Dr. Greg Miller, Superintendent, and Mr. Tom DeAngelo, Technology Director, from the Fleetwood Area School District (FASD).
Key discussion points included:
• State Data Privacy and Security Laws
• Anatomy of a Breach
• Incident Response Trends & Statistics
• Understanding Cyber Liability Insurance
• Understanding what you are buying
• Navigating a cyber incident and the claim roadmap
• Case study of a cyber-attack in Berks County
Ms. Shan Schafle presented information from a “Breach Coach” perspective on coordinating an investigation and response to actual suspected data privacy and security incidents; and legal, regulatory, and industry-specific obligations stemming from an occurrence. In addition, Mr. Josh Daly shared his extensive knowledge of risk management, and how to control and reduce associated losses and costs.
Demonstrating the value of the cyber insurance and incident response information presented by Ms. Shafle and Mr. Daly, Dr. Greg Miller and Mr. Tom DeAngelo provided a case study about an FASD ransomware attack experienced in March 2022. Their case study offered an inside look at the event through the lens of the Superintendent and the Technology Director and left participants with real-world insights into what it is like to navigate a crippling cyber incident, including how cyber insurance played in their recovery.
Thank you to Mr. Scott Major, BCIU Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology, and the four presenters for coordinating this valuable workshop for Berks County school district leaders.