Pine Cove Consulting

07/23/2026

Researchers disclosed a vulnerability in the Claude in Chrome browser extension that allowed malicious extensions with no declared permissions to silently access Gmail, Google Drive, and GitHub data. Anthropic released a patch, but researchers note it remains exploitable in certain configurations.

When AI tools operate at the browser level with access to authenticated sessions, knowing what they can reach and under what conditions isn't optional, it's part of your security posture.

https://cybersecuritynews.com/claudes-chrome-extension-vulnerability/

A critical flaw in the “Claude in Chrome” extension lets attackers hijack the AI assistant to silently steal Gmail, Drive, and GitHub data.

07/22/2026

It is easy to buy connectivity, power, and security as three separate line items, at three different times, from three different people. The trouble shows up during a bad day, when the outage or the attack reaches all of them at once, and the gaps between them become the whole problem. The districts that come through in the best shape are not the ones that spent the most. They are the ones who designed it as one connected system, sized for real conditions, with a clear picture of what happens when a piece goes down.

That is the entire idea behind a Pathfinder 360 assessment: see the whole landscape before something forces you to. We would much rather walk that trail with you before the lights go out than after.

Stop firefighting. Start leading. Take the Pathfinder 360 survey today https://sasquatchsurvey.pinecc.com/

07/21/2026

Projects can be complex, costly, and time consuming 💸

Our project team has a proven track record of helping organizations achieve successful technology projects. Whether you want to outsource management and oversight of a technology upgrade, or just need additional assistance with technology installation, our project team is ready to help.

Learn more about our custom support services and get started today: https://pinecc.com/services

07/20/2026

A data breach affecting Canvas, one of the most widely used learning management systems in K-12 and higher education, may have exposed millions of student and teacher records globally. The incident is a reminder that third-party platforms, even the ones built into daily school operations, carry real data risk that districts are ultimately responsible for understanding and managing.

Vendor and application risk is part of what a Pathfinder 360 assessment surfaces. If you do not have visibility into what platforms hold your data and what protections are in place, that is a conversation worth having.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/canvas-data-breach-may-have-exposed-millions-of-student-and-teacher-records-worldwide

Instructure disclosed a data breach involving its Canvas learning platform in late April.

07/17/2026

Even with stronger security tools in place, human error remains one of the biggest risks to student privacy. A recent CoSN 2026 session highlighted how everyday mistakes, like sending sensitive information to the wrong audience or misunderstanding vendor responsibilities, can create serious FERPA concerns.

Strong security depends on more than tools. Training, communication, and clear processes help prevent small mistakes from becoming major risks.

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/cosn-2026-why-human-error-remains-greatest-threat-to-ferpa

A security expert from the U.S. Department of Education warned that the most mundane tasks, like routine email updates or inadequately redacted records, are where student privacy is most vulnerable.

07/16/2026

The "Contagious Interview" campaign targets developers through fake job interviews, asking them to clone a GitHub repository as a coding assessment. Hidden inside is a malicious Git hook that executes silently the moment a developer runs a commit... no clicks, no prompts, no warning.

Most organizations don't have policies governing what developers can clone and run locally. This is a reminder that the developer workstation deserves the same security attention as the network perimeter.

https://cybersecuritynews.com/north-korean-hackers-weaponize-git-hooks/

North Korean hackers hide malware in Git hooks, targeting developers through fake job interview coding repositories.

07/15/2026

300 students. Months of preparation. Gone in one failed connection. And somewhere in that building, a technology director is fielding calls they should never have had to take.

Unreliable networks do not just frustrate people. They cost them. In lost instructional time, in trust from leadership, and in moments that cannot be recovered once they are gone.

Here is the thing most organizations miss: networking is a planning problem before it is a hardware problem. The right access points in the wrong environment, installed without understanding device counts, building layout, or where the organization is headed in three years, will fail. Not maybe. Eventually.

Pine Cove has been building reliable connectivity across the Mountain West for over 30 years. Historic buildings with thick walls. Remote campuses. Outdoor spaces. Facilities that were never designed for wireless. We know what it takes to build networks that hold up in real conditions, not just on a spec sheet.

Your network should never be the reason something fails.

Stop firefighting. Start leading. Take the Pathfinder 360 survey https://sasquatchsurvey.pinecc.com/

07/14/2026

Expectations for your network reliability and connectivity have never been higher. Exceed those expectations with our secure and efficient network infrastructure solutions.

Learn how we can help improve your network today: https://pinecc.com/services

07/13/2026

Congress was warned this spring that AI is actively lowering the barrier for cybercriminals targeting school districts: faster phishing, automated network probing, and accelerated data theft. This is the environment your security posture is operating in right now. If your district does not have a documented security roadmap, that is the starting point.

Security is domain 7 in the Pathfinder 360 Wheel. It does not sit in isolation. It connects directly to your infrastructure, devices, and cloud layers. A gap anywhere feeds a risk everywhere.

https://marketbrief.edweek.org/education-market/security-ai-guidelines-are-top-school-district-ed-tech-concerns/2026/05

07/09/2026

In late April, Instructure-the company behind Canvas disclosed a cyberattack affecting more than 8,800 institutions. The following week, schools received a ransom demand pushed directly through the platform.

For students in the middle of finals, the impact was immediate: assignments couldn't be submitted, exams were disrupted, and IT teams scrambled.

This wasn't a breach of a school's own systems. It was a breach of a platform schools depend on and when it went down, those schools went down with it.

As the National Cybersecurity Alliance noted, these incidents are no longer isolated IT problems. They're operational disruptions. And the method — find the vendor, breach the vendor, reach everyone connected keeps repeating.

The question for your organization isn't whether you use third-party platforms. You do. The question is whether you know which vendors have access to your data, and whether anyone is reviewing that on a regular basis.

That's exactly the kind of risk Pathfinder 360 is designed to surface. A clear picture of your environment, your vendors, and where your exposure actually sits. If you haven't had that conversation recently, now is a good time.

https://universitybusiness.com/what-this-data-exploit-reveals-about-higher-educations-cyber-security/

Last week's Instructure breach highlighted how third-party vendors can trigger widespread operational and data security crises.