In part one of our exclusive 2-part interview on K12 Tech Talk, we sat down with Soheil Katal, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Los Angeles School District, to discuss the recent ransomware attack that rocked the district's systems and caused disruption for students and staff alike. Katal shared his firsthand account of the impact of the attack and the challenges of trying to restore the district's systems and data.

But that's not all. Katal is a seasoned technology leader, and he shared his invaluable perspective on the broader issue of cybersecurity and how organizations can better protect themselves from ransomware attacks.

In part two of this interview, which will publish next week, Katal provides deeper insights into the broader issue of cybersecurity, including practical steps that organizations can take to better protect themselves. He also discusses the importance of regular backups, employee training, and the need for a comprehensive security strategy.

If you're an educator, IT professional, or simply someone who wants to learn more about how to protect yourself from cyber threats, you won't want to miss this 2-part interview. Katal provides valuable lessons and takeaways that you can apply in your own life and work.

So stay tuned for part two of K12 Tech Talk's exclusive interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles School District, as he shares his insights and experiences in the wake of the district's recent ransomware attack.

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BIG NEWS! In this episode, we set up Episode 108, an interview with Soheil Katal, the CIO of Los Angeles Unified School District. We are pretty certain this is the first one on one interview he has given, and we got it! As you can tell, we're excited.

But first, in this episode, we mention a cheating scandal at a High School in Florida that involves... you guessed it... everyone's favorite AI bot, ChatGPT. We have a listener email about the blurred lines between door access control systems and security camera systems, and when is it an IT issue, a Maintenance issue, or a Safety issue.

Come back for Episode 108 (and it will probably be split into two episodes).

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Our influx of listener emails continues, and we field a question about esports, one about recovering from COVID challenges, and we say G'day to a listener from Australia. We also spend a good amount of time talking about rolling out MFA requirements and a few settings in Google Admin Console that might make that rollout easier. We also talk about some upcoming conferences that "we" will be attending including but not limited to K12Six, CoSN, and NHCTO.

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We had so many listener emails that we can't get to them all this week. We will save a few for next week, but keep 'em coming!

A few weeks ago, we talked about Sh1mmer, the new shim package that was released that allowed individuals to remove Chromebooks from Google Admin Console, etc. We received an email from the group who developed Sh1mmer and they wanted to clarify some items that we got wrong. In this episode, Chris tells the story of the email exchange with two people from the group, including us asking Jack Rhysider from Darknet Diaries for some tips, and then there's a plot twist at the end that surprised us.

We have a few listener emails; one about mandated reporter laws and what we got wrong (We are sensing a theme here) and one about internet access for the public and during sporting events in schools.  

We also interview Megan, a ClassLink user, about how ClassLink has changed her life for the better.

And, of course, we have the Forti-Question-of-the-Week... What are you doing for internet and phone redundancy?

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Mark is absent (AKA suspended for his actions last week), so Eric fills in for him. We have two listener emails; one about Chromebook rotation and one about interactive boards/panels. We talk about ChatGPT's Terms of Service requirement of 18 years old for use. We talk about Google Meet and Zoom supporting each other's clients and interoperability. We also go down another "rabbit hole" about taking time to block VPNs and content filter avoidance websites. 

Mark should be off suspension and return next week.

Google Meet and Zoom article we talk about

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The guys are off the rails tonight. They have a listener email that asks some tough questions, they talk about the sh1mmer vulnerability affecting Chromebooks, and they talk about going down rabbit holes and spending time to address issues. Chris and Josh talk about an Extreme Networks boot camp they went to, and then the guys wrap it up with Fortinet's Security Segment Question of the Week... and that's when the wheels fall off. We aren't sure how the Fortinet marketing folks will respond to our great ideas for product names!

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In this episode, Chris, Josh, and Mark talk details on their upcoming session at the SecurED Schools conference, they unpack two listener emails, give the latest on ChatGPT in their schools, and Mark shares an article about students viewing pornography at school and the tech dept's responsibility. The Fortinet Security Segment Question of the Week is related to MFA/2FA.

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The guys are back from the holiday break and they are ready to go! 

ChatGPT is in the news and the guys talk through their stances on whether to block or allow, and valid uses for ChatGPT. In fact, during the episode, Mark used ChatGPT to write a policy about the use of personal devices at work... and it's amazing.

GPTrue or False (extension we discuss)

Article Chris mentions about ChatGPT

They have an email from listener Pate about allowing students to change profile pics, names, and gender in Google. Josh mentioned Intrado's ransomware incident. The Fortinet Security Segment Question of the Week is related to phishing staff.

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Last week the guys asked all the guests to look back at 2022, and give a forecast for 2023. In this episode, it's the guys' turn. They each take an assessment of 2022, and look forward to see what 2023 might hold. Also, Chris rants about being required to fill out the NCSR.

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Tonight we celebrate Episode 100 with a retrospective of sorts with visits from former guests, loyal listeners, former hosts (Cory), a sponsor, and one you won't believe. Somehow Chris convinced Jack Rhysider from Darknet Diaries to come on and help us celebrate episode 100. All of our guests (including Jack) talk about their plans for 2023 and top priorities.  

The lineup is as follows:

Jeremy from SomethingCool.com, Listener Pate, Listener/Fill-in Host Eric, Jack Rhysider, Listener Dan, Listener Joe, and Former Co-host Cory. We really appreciate everyone joining and spending time with us this evening. Without our listeners, this show would not exist. We made it to Episode 100 because of you. And special shoutout to Jack Rhysider for joining us; he didn't have to and was super awesome to talk to.

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Jefferson College's success with Extreme Networks

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