NCDPI K-12 Cybersecurity Webinar Series
The NCDPI K-12 Cybersecurity Webinar Series was created to provide monthly webinars of specialized content to PSUs across the state. Each month will focus on a different topic, which will be led by various subject matter experts.
Our expert presenters will guide you through a variety of topics related to cybersecurity, including cybersecurity awareness, best practices for password management, understanding common threats and attacks, and strategies for ensuring data privacy. Whether you’re an IT professional or a concerned parent, our webinars will provide you with the tools you need to keep yourself and your community secure.
By attending our Cybersecurity Webinar Series, you’ll learn how to:
- Protect your PSU’s network from cyber attacks
- Train staff and students to identify potential threats
- Maintain data privacy and comply with regulations
- Stay up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity trends and best practices
2025-2026 School Year Webinar Schedule
Schedule (Click to Expand)
Date Topic & Description Webinar Resources July 9, 2025, 10am Cybersecurity Careers & Certifications
Join us for an engaging and informative webinar designed for students, career changers, and professionals interested in the dynamic world of cybersecurity. This session will break down the diverse career paths within cybersecurity—from penetration testing and threat intelligence to governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). You’ll learn about key industry certifications such as CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CISSP, EC-Council CEH, and more, and how they align with various roles.
Cybersecurity experts will share personal career stories, outline certification strategies, and provide insights on how to enter and grow in this high-demand field. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to specialize, this webinar will help you map out your next steps with confidence.Register Here
2024-2025 School Year Webinar Schedule
Schedule (Click to Expand)
Date Topic & Description Webinar Resources June 18, 2025, 10am Analyzing Zscaler Traffic Logs and Web Analytics to Unmask Network Threats
Join Chris Lovett from MCNC for an insightful webinar where we delve into the intricacies of Zscaler traffic logs and web analytics. In this session, Chris will demonstrate effective techniques for PSUs to identify and mitigate VPN usage and other malicious traffic on their networks. Attendees will gain valuable skills in analyzing traffic patterns, recognizing potential threats, and implementing best practices for network security. Whether you’re a network administrator or a cybersecurity enthusiast, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge to enhance your organization’s defenses against emerging threats.Register Here
Intro SlidesMay 12, 2025, 10am Through the Looking Glass: A Hacker’s Playbook for Deepfakes and Digital Deception
If you’ve been wondering how threat actors view your organization and plan attacks in the era of deepfakes, then this is the session for you!
Join Perry Carpenter, author of FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions, for an engaging journey into synthetic media’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. Through a mix of live demonstrations showcasing both the unsettling capabilities and amusing quirks of AI-generated content, you’ll discover how deepfakes and synthetic media are revolutionizing scams, deception, and misinformation.
This webinar will give you essential insights for recognizing, resisting, and responding to deepfake-based threats. Equal parts serious security talk and playful experimentation, this session delivers actionable takeaways wrapped in an entertaining package.
Experience firsthand the powerful AI tools reshaping both threat landscapes and creative possibilities. Bring your curiosity—and your sense of humor. Register Here April 23, 2025, 10am Incident Response Management for PSUs
In 2023, the NCDPI K-12 Cybersecurity Program team released the original PSU Incident Response Toolkit as a comprehensive set of incident response templates and resources. The original toolkit was composed of four essential components (Incident Response Guidelines, Policy, Plan, and Procedures) to equip PSUs with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. During this session, the team will introduce a new fifth component, Playbooks, which is a documented set of procedures and guidelines that PSUs can follow when responding to specific types of cybersecurity incidents. Finally, we will introduce a new Incident Response Plan automation feature that streamlines the initial creation and IR plan development process for PSUs.Webinar
Recording
SlidesMarch 12, 2025, 10am Know what you don’t know with runZero Workshop
Dive into a hands-on, interactive workshop designed to empower PSU technicians with practical skills in cybersecurity. In this session, you’ll use runZero to perform active scanning, passive discovery, and leverage API integrations that enable critical visibility into PSU-managed and unmanaged assets across IT, OT, IoT, cloud, mobile, and remote environments. Workshop participants will learn how to leverage runZero, alongside other IT and cybersecurity tools, to help PSUs identify outdated software, misconfigurations, and enable continuous monitoring, vulnerability analysis, targeted threat mitigation, and improved cyber resilience.
This workshop will also outline the general principles of Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) and showcase how the NCDPI and its partners have leveraged runZero as part of the overall K-12 Cybersecurity Program to protect educational assets across North Carolina.Slides Feb 19, 2025 10am Practical MFA Use Cases and Technical Configuration Options for PSUs (Workshop)
Join Cory Rankin from the NCLGISA Strike Team and Sammie Carter from the Friday Institute as they host a continuation of the previous MFA Session Thief Webinar. This interactive workshop will outline the different types of MFA methods, their pros and cons, and useful hardening techniques. This session will include, but is not limited to, examples surrounding SMS & Email codes, Push, TOTP & HOTP, FIDO security keys, and more! In this workshop, they will guide you through hands-on practical MFA configurations and best practice considerations for key PSUs services and resources. Note: This workshop is NOT outlining an implementation plan (e.g. Project Management) for deploying MFA in a PSU but provides specific technical consideration options for a deployment or to improve an existing MFA implementation.Slides
SSH MFA DemoJan 29, 2025 10am Data Privacy: Balancing Safety and Innovation
Join NCDPI to explore the latest data privacy trends and their implications for educational technology, focusing on practical strategies to protect student and staff data while ensuring compliance with regulations like FERPA and PPRA. This session will equip district technology directors with actionable insights and tools to build a culture of privacy awareness and resilience in their PSU.Webinar Recording
SlidesDec 11, 2024 10am NCLGISA Strike Team Multifactor session theft
Join Cory Rankin from the NCLGISA strike team as he steps through the complexities of MFA Phishing. Specifically, Cory will go over what it is, how it works, and how you can protect yourself.Webinar Recording
SlidesNov 14, 2024 10am Cybersecurity 101: Securing Your Digital Environment
This webinar is designed to identify and explore the essential steps of developing a foundational cybersecurity program based upon CIS version 8.1.Webinar Recording
SlidesOct 16, 2024 10am Network Intrusion Analysis with Wireshark (Workshop)
Dive into a hands-on workshop designed to empower K-12 organizations with practical skills in cybersecurity. In this session, you’ll use Wireshark to detect and analyze various tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) from an attack capture file that has previously been used in a real attack. Workshop participants will also learn to identify and extract the malicious payload from the packet capture and perform a brief analysis of the malware found. This interactive workshop will provide you with the knowledge and experience to perform network intrusion analysis and strengthen your cybersecurity posture, ensuring better protection against potential breaches.Slides
Recording Not AvailableSept 4, 2024
10amEnhancing K-12 Cybersecurity with THC-Hydra for Dictionary Attacks
(Hands-On Workshop)
Dive into a hands-on workshop designed to empower K-12 organizations with practical skills in cybersecurity. In this session, you’ll use the THC-Hydra tool to perform online dictionary attacks and understand how these tests can uncover login credentials in your systems. Learn to configure and execute THC-Hydra in a controlled environment to identify weak passwords and enhance your PSU’s security defenses. This interactive workshop will provide you with the knowledge and experience to proactively test and strengthen your cybersecurity posture, ensuring better protection against potential breaches.Slides
Recording Not AvailableAugust 14, 2024
1pmGoogle Firewall VPN with Palo Alto
Join MCNC as they demonstrate the capabilities of Palo Alto Global Protect and Google/365 SAML with 2FA for VPN. They will highlight the VPN attack landscape, examine VPN attack traffic in NC K12 firewalls, and discuss how to improve security posture by implementing VPN with use of Google and/or cloud 365 with 2FA.Webinar Recording
SlidesJuly 10, 2024
1pmUnveiling the Power of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
In this webinar, we will explore the fascinating world of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and its relevance in the K-12 education landscape. This session will focus on what OSINT is, its significance in the digital age, the types of information that can be obtained through OSINT, and demonstrate some real-world examples showcasing how OSINT can be applied in educational settings.Webinar Recording
Slides
2023-2024 School Year Webinar Schedule
Schedule (Click to Expand)
Date Topic & Description Webinar Resources June 12, 2024
1pmEmail Security – SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Tired of your email domain being Spoofed! In this month’s Security Webinar we’ll be discussing how to cut down your spoofed emails with accurate and functioning SPF/DKIM/DMARC records. All the tools needed in order to effectively say who email is from. In a collaboration with MCNC and DPI we will look at some inaccurate records and make recommendations on how to better serve email domains to tighten up Security.Webinar
Recording
SlidesMay 29, 2024 1pm EOY Management and Planning for your KnowBe4 Console
Join Amir Lawrence from the Friday Institute as he goes over a series of best practices and techniques for preparing your KnowBe4 Console for the next school yearWebinar Recording
SlidesApr 10, 2024
1pmCrowdstrike Threat Update
Hear from CrowdStrike’s Threat Intelligence experts as they share important lessons and recommendations K-12 Security and IT teams need to know in 2024Available upon request. Mar 27, 2024, 1pm MCNC Managed Firewall Service – Panorama Training
Join MCNC’s Security Team as they provide Panorama training for PSUs utilizing MCNC’s Managed Firewall service.Webinar Recording
SlidesFeb 20, 2024, 1pm MCNC Attack Surface Monitoring
Join MCNC’s Security Team as they provide an overview of their new service, Attack Surface Monitoring (formerly EdgeGuard)Webinar Recording
SlidesJan 17, 2024, 10am Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP)
Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) is a framework used in cybersecurity to standardize the way security-related information is expressed and exchanged. It was developed to help organizations automate the assessment, monitoring, and reporting of security configurations and vulnerabilities in computer systems. SCAP-enabled tools and systems use these standardized components to automate security tasks such as vulnerability scanning, configuration assessment, and compliance monitoring. By implementing SCAP, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture by identifying and mitigating security risks more effectively and efficiently. This session out outlined the key components of SCAP including Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), Common Configuration Enumeration (CCE), Common Platform Enumeration (CPE), and
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).Webinar Recording
SlidesDec 13, 2023, 10am Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM)
The foundations of cybersecurity are built on preserving the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational assets. Organizations have a vast amount of assets they must track, monitor, and protect. Any asset can act as a potential entry point for unauthorized individuals seeking to breach the system, either to extract data or initiate other cyber attacks. Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) is a technological approach specifically aimed at providing a unified view of digital assets for key stakeholders across an organization through API integrations combined with active and passive scanning. Leveraging CAASM tools can help PSUs identify outdated software and misconfigurations, enabling continuous monitoring, vulnerability analysis, targeted threat mitigation, and improved cyber resilience. This webinar will outline the general principles of CAASM and showcase how the NCDPI and its partners have deployed CAASM solutions as part of the overall K-12 Cybersecurity Program to protect educational assets across North Carolina.Webinar Recording
SlidesNov 14, 2023, 9am MCNC Firewall Service Update
MCNC’s Security Team will provide a brief service overview of their Managed Firewall service available at no cost to all PSUs. This overview will include highlighting a few new features that are available now or coming soon. In addition, the team will take a deep dive into the upcoming firewall hardening exercise to be completed by all PSUs currently enrolled in the service in the coming months. The goal for the firewall hardening exercise is to optimize the firewall policy so PSUs can receive the most benefit from the PaloAlto NextGen Firewall capabilities and have an improved overall security posture. Join us to learn about how to get on the schedule to complete this valuable and mandatory exercise.Webinar Recording Oct 18, 2023,
3pmKnowBe4 – It’s Personal: Developing Good Cybersecurity Hygiene to
Stay Safe Online
Join KnowBe4 in a discussion around best practices for staying safe online, maintaining strong passwords, email red flags to be aware of, and how to encourage faculty, staff, and students to do the same.Available upon request