Pres. Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden host public school students, military kids and more for trick-or-treating at the White House.Days after a swatting threat, Austin ISD's CTO Oscar Rodriguez said the district is prepared for cybersecurity threats, working with vendors and agencies to bolster system security amid increasing risks posed by advancements in AI.
One possible technological threat that could put a wrench in those cybersecurity preparations: artificial intelligence. "It's not a matter of 'if' but 'when,' not necessarily because of what districts do, but it's just the sophistication of these attacks," Rodriguez said. "Obviously, the advancements of A.I. play a role in that. Where, before, it was easy to see that if you got an email from, let's say, somebody that English wasn't their native language, you could sort of decipher that.
"It's a threat, and it's going to be an ongoing risk for any organization, even corporate or nonprofit," Rodriguez said. "And so, it's just a matter of really focusing on making sure our staff, families, students are careful, and they use that judgment and discernment to really evaluate an email before clicking on the link or opening the attachment."
CBS Austin reached out to the Austin ISD police for any updates in its investigation to the swatting incident but did not hear back.