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Back From Break: A Practical Cybersecurity Checklist for K–12 Schools

After a two-week break, schools return to full classrooms, busy staff, and a sudden spike in technology use. Devices come back online, staff log in for the first time in weeks, and systems that sat quietly over break are suddenly under load again.

From a cybersecurity perspective, this is one of the highest-risk times of the year.

Accounts may have been compromised while no one was watching. Updates may have queued up. Devices might be missing patches. And threat actors know schools are distracted during long breaks.


Why the Post-Break Window Matters

Extended breaks create gaps:

  • Accounts remain active but unused
  • Alerts go unseen
  • Devices miss updates
  • Staff fall out of security habits

Attackers don’t take holidays. Schools do.

A short, focused review right now can prevent weeks of cleanup later.


A Practical Post-Break Security Checklist

This checklist focuses on high-impact, low-friction tasks that small K–12 IT teams can realistically complete.

1. Review Account Activity and Access

Start with identity — it’s still the primary attack vector.

  • Review recent sign-in activity in Google Workspace and Microsoft Entra
  • Look for logins from unusual locations or devices
  • Disable or reset accounts that show suspicious activity
  • Review staff and admin accounts for unnecessary privileges

If MFA isn’t enforced everywhere yet, ensure it’s enabled for all administrative and high-risk accounts.


2. Confirm MFA and Conditional Access Are Still Working

Changes happen while you’re away, sometimes without notice.

  • Verify MFA enforcement hasn’t been relaxed or bypassed
  • Review Conditional Access policies in Entra
  • Confirm Google Workspace security policies are still applied
  • Check for newly excluded users or groups

Don’t assume “it was on before break” means it’s still configured correctly.


3. Check Device Health and Patch Status

Devices coming back online may immediately need updates.

  • Confirm Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS updates are applying successfully
  • Review device compliance in Intune, Mosyle, or Google Admin
  • Identify devices that haven’t checked in recently
  • Address systems nearing end-of-support or auto-update expiration

Unpatched devices are one of the fastest ways attackers gain access.


4. Review Email and Phishing Activity

Breaks are prime phishing season.

  • Review quarantine and spam trends in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
  • Look for patterns targeting staff returning to work
  • Send a quick reminder on how to report suspicious emails
  • Ensure phishing reports are still routed correctly

A short reminder now can prevent a long incident later.


5. Re-Evaluate Third-Party App Access

Shadow IT often grows quietly over breaks.

  • Review OAuth-connected apps in Google and Microsoft
  • Remove apps that are unused, risky, or no longer approved
  • Confirm vendor agreements and data access scopes are still valid

This is an easy win that significantly reduces risk.


6. Confirm Backups Are Running and Restorable

Never assume backups are fine. Verify them!

  • Confirm scheduled backups completed successfully during break
  • Perform a quick restore test if possible
  • Validate offline or immutable backup copies
  • Review backup alerts that may have been missed

Backups are only useful if they work when you need them.


7. Make Sure Logging and Alerts Are Active

Quiet periods can hide noisy problems.

  • Confirm audit logging is enabled in Entra and Google Workspace
  • Review alerts that fired during the break
  • Ensure alert notifications are still reaching the right people

Visibility is essential, especially after downtime.


This Isn’t About Perfection

This checklist isn’t meant to make your environment perfect.

It’s about:

  • catching obvious issues early
  • re-establishing visibility
  • reducing risk before normal chaos resumes

Think of it as resetting your security posture for the semester.


Closing Thoughts

Returning from a long break is one of the best opportunities to strengthen your security posture with minimal disruption.

A few hours of focused review now can save days or weeks of incident response later.

Cybersecurity doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.

It just needs to be intentional.

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