{"id":10163,"date":"2024-10-25T14:30:07","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=10163"},"modified":"2025-03-13T19:50:31","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T19:50:31","slug":"maryland-guard-members-help-enhance-anne-arundel-schools-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2024\/10\/25\/maryland-guard-members-help-enhance-anne-arundel-schools-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Guard members help enhance Anne Arundel schools cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Story by Capt. Mary Lyons

SEVERN, Md. \u2013 Maryland National Guard cyber operators spent two weeks assisting Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) enhance their cybersecurity posture at the Center of Applied Technology \u2013 North facility October 14-25, 2024, through the Department of Defense\u2019s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program.

Soldiers from the Cyber Protection Team (CPT) 169 and Airmen from the 275th Cyberspace Operations Squadron (COS) presented discoveries from the engagement and made recommendations to improve AACPS cybersecurity during the training event.

The IRT collaboration was designed to strengthen military readiness while simultaneously enhancing local community resilience.

\u201cIt\u2019s a mutually beneficial partnership,\u201d said Maryland Army National Guard 1st Lt. Stephanie Williams, IRT engagement lead assigned to CPT 169. \u201cOur public schools receive essential cybersecurity support, and we, in turn, gain experience not easily replicated in a training environment.\u201d

Anne Arundel County requested the IRT support amid increasing threats to school systems nationwide. In recent years, U.S. educational institutions have seen a surge in cyberattacks targeting sensitive student and staff information. AACPS received advanced cyber protection capabilities at a time when cybersecurity personnel and budgets remain limited.

\u201cI experienced a brutal cyber-attack during my time [as superintendent] in Kansas City where we ultimately had to pay a ransom in order to get back our information,\u201d said Dr. Mark Bedell, superintendent of AACPS. \u201cI learned a lot from that experience, and I am really excited that we have the opportunity to partner with the [Maryland National Guard].\u201d

The exercise focused on strengthening AACPS defenses against potential threats while providing Soldiers and Airmen with hands-on training applicable to incident response events, both domestically and abroad.

CPT 169\u2019s support of Anne Arundel County is part of a broader IRT framework between the Maryland National Guard and AACPS. Originally initiated through the Maryland Air National Guard, the project eventually integrated the Maryland Army National Guard\u2019s CPT 169 to expand capabilities and resources.

\u201cThis joint effort between the Army and Air Force demonstrates how we can work together to augment our knowledge, skills, and abilities,\u201d said Williams. \u201cCollaboration across civilian and military professions makes us stronger and better prepared to protect our Maryland communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anne Arundel County allowed CPT 169 and 275th COS to conduct defensive cyberspace operations on live systems. Unlike simulated exercises, working on an active network introduces<\/span><\/p>\n

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variables that can only be encountered in real-world environments. According to Williams, the intensity and the unique challenges faced enhance unit readiness for future deployments.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOur work with Anne Arundel County Public Schools provided exposure to systems we might not typically encounter,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt allowed us to refine our processes and improve our readiness. Being able to handle genuine network traffic is invaluable, and our work here could make a difference in future engagements.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The IRT program helps develop skills essential in combat scenarios while benefiting communities that can benefit from additional resources. For CPT 169, which is responsible for training and qualifying other National Guard cyber protection teams nationwide, this exercise exemplifies how the National Guard can maintain combat readiness while supporting domestic missions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Williams said their unit\u2019s work is instrumental in reinforcing public trust in government.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cEducation is a critical area, especially as cyber actors increasingly target schools,\u201d said Williams. \u201cOur goal is not only to protect the systems we\u2019re working with but to contribute to the safety and security of students and staff. It\u2019s rewarding to directly serve our communities and show the added value we bring beyond traditional military operations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Story by Capt. Mary Lyons SEVERN, Md. \u2013 Maryland National Guard cyber operators spent two weeks assisting Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) enhance their cybersecurity posture at the Center of Applied Technology \u2013 North facility October 14-25, 2024, through the Department of Defense\u2019s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program. Soldiers from the Cyber Protection Team  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":10318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10163"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10323,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10163\/revisions\/10323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}