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Keeping Utah’s K-12 schools and college campuses safe goes beyond physical threats to students, faculty, staff and property.

In 2025, schools must be constantly vigilant against cyberattacks.

That’s the cautionary message emphasized in a performance audit report presented Thursday to the Legislative Audit Subcommittee.

Cybersecurity threats such as ransomware, data breaches and email fraud are increasing realities in public education — evidenced by a pair of recent cyber breaches at a pair of Utah school districts that resulted in financial losses and exposed student data, according to a report prepared by the Office of the Legislative Auditor General.

Reported “cyber incidents” in public education in the U.S. jumped from 400 in 2018 — to 1,300 in 2021.

“Cyberattacks in other states,” the audit warns, “demonstrate the possibility of consequences on an even larger scale in both public and higher education.”

More can be done to protect Utah’s public schools — both in K-12 and higher education, the audit concluded.

Prioritizing cybersecurity in Utah schools

Legislative auditors found that Utah’s local education agencies — or LEAs — are not fully implementing baseline cybersecurity practices, leaving school systems vulnerable.

“Testing and statewide surveys found significant gaps in incident response planning, training and patch management, with smaller districts lagging furthest behind,” the audit summarized. “Barriers such as insufficient staffing, limited resources and lack of prioritization continue to hinder progress.”

Auditors suggested Utah lawmakers facilitate improvement by “studying possible minimum cybersecurity standards and solutions to LEA’s cybersecurity challenges.”

Utah’s higher education institutions, meanwhile, have largely adopted high-impact practices — but vary in implementing broader cybersecurity controls.

“Weaknesses are most evident in web and email safeguards and in cybersecurity training, both critical areas exploited by attackers,” according to the audit.

“Oversight and accountability are also inconsistent, as institutions differ in how they develop and communicate information security plans.”

Auditors recommended that the Utah Board of Higher Education clarify its institutions’ roles and responsibilities in ensuring cybersecurity.

“Stronger governance and more consistent baseline protections would help protect sensitive student, financial, and research data.”

Utah schools counted among cyberattack victims

The legislative auditing team found that Utah’s LEAs can be more vigilant in defending against cybersecurity threats.

The solution? Start by providing enhanced guidance on key cybersecurity controls and standards.

“The Legislature should consider studying possible minimum cybersecurity standards for LEAs,” the audit recommended. “The Legislature should also consider studying how to address persistent barriers to LEA cybersecurity, such as low prioritization of cybersecurity, inadequate staffing, and challenges in training and retaining skilled personnel.”

The report cited cyberattacks on two Utah school districts and a vendor that provides services to many school districts in the state.

In one district, an attacker successfully infiltrated its system and began stealing data. The district spotted the attack and limited the damage — but data for approximately 450,000 students and 30,000 employees was impacted.

Ultimately, the school district had to pay $150,000 to their cyber insurance provider and dedicate “significant amounts” of technical staff time to recovery. Seven full-time equivalent district employees spent about 75% of their time over several months to recover from the attack, the audit reported.

“This is significant because LEAs told us that staffing is a barrier to improving cybersecurity. Instead of improving cybersecurity controls, this district was forced to respond to an attack.”

A cyberattack last year on another Utah school district exacted a recovery cost estimated at up to $150,000.

“The attacks on both school districts could have been prevented by more fully implementing multifactor authentication,” the audit reported.

Additionally, an education software vendor reported a breach in 2024 that affected the data of customer LEAs in Utah.

“It may have been the largest breach of personal information for students nationwide. Attackers were able to access systems because MFA was not enabled on a compromised employee account,” according to the audit.

The Legislature, recommended auditors, can study possible solutions to the difficult cybersecurity challenges facing Utah’s LEAs — “like insufficient prioritization of cybersecurity, staffing, training, and recruiting and retaining skilled personnel.”

If the Legislature studies this issue, the audit added, it should take into account the differences between large and small school districts in cybersecurity capabilities.”

Higher education institutions at risk for cybercrime

Cyber criminals are also targeting colleges and universities — and bad actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Thursday’s audit reported that the Utah System of Higher Education includes a wide variety of institutions serving more than 200,000 students — and each school operates complex IT systems that are attractive targets for cyberattacks.

Fairly recent incidents in Utah and across the nation — including ransomware attacks, data breaches, and other compromises — demonstrate the significant financial and operational consequences such events can have on higher education.

Utah schools, according to auditors, are implementing cybersecurity controls — “but can do more to ensure compliance and further progress in adopting baseline cybersecurity controls. Unaddressed weaknesses could expose the system to costly attacks.”

Utah’s colleges and universities should ensure they are following state policies — while also developing plans for implementing their specific cybersecurity controls, according to the report.

The Utah Board of Higher Education should ensure adequate oversight of cybersecurity at member institutions by clarifying policy, suggested auditors. “While USHE institutions have successfully implemented certain basic cybersecurity practices, more can be done to improve core cybersecurity controls and cybersecurity oversight within USHE.”

Utah counted among states targeted by cyberattacks.

In 2020, the University of Utah’s College of Social and Behavioral Science experienced a ransomware attack on its servers. The university paid a $457,000 ransom, most of which was reimbursed by their insurance provider, according to the audit.

In that University of Utah incident, the school spent about 5,000 hours of staff time resolving the issue.

Meanwhile, the USHE reports that a different institution had a data breach in 2021 where they had to notify about 3,800 people and had direct costs of $25,000.

The audit applauded institutions for using multifactor authentication on their systems.

“We are encouraged by the recurring cybersecurity assessments USHE institutions have been doing on each other for over a decade. Cybersecurity personnel from USHE institutions test the defenses of other institutions regularly. This shows good leadership and collaboration.”

Legislative auditors recommended that the state board clarify roles in its cybersecurity policy — including compliance accountability — for its institutions.

Additionally, auditors recommended that the Legislative Audit Subcommittee consider including cybersecurity and validation as part of current and future audits performed by its auditors.

USHE Commissioner Geoffrey Landward told the subcommittee Thursday that his office agrees with the report’s recommendations for higher education — calling it a “critical audit.”

“As the auditors have pointed out, while we have made strides as a system of higher education, there are areas for improvement,” said Landward.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with legislative auditors, and the resources they bring, to help us identify where we can still improve.”

Okay, maybe Vanderbilt isn’t the best team in the SEC at the moment, but with four blowout wins in four games, and not all of them against lightweights, the team is rolling. 

The Commodores have outscored their opponents 190 to 51, and that’s with blowouts over South Carolina and Virginia Tech. This is the last breather, though, with a trip to Alabama up next, and then LSU, Missouri, and at Texas.

But Utah State could be a problem.

It wasn’t horrible in a 44-22 loss to Texas A&M, and it’s 3-1 thanks to a strong win over Air Force, but there’s a ton of traveling to do. 

After going to Nashville, the Aggies get a week off to get out to Hawaii as part of a run of three road games in four dates.

Vanderbilt Commodores vs Utah State Aggies Game Preview

Vanderbilt vs Utah State How To Watch

Saturday, September 27, 2025
Game Time: 12:45 PM ET
TV: SEC Network
Location: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN
– CFP Top 12 & Projections
– Bowl Projections
– SEC Picks For Every Remaining Game
@PeteFiutak

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Why Utah State Will Win

Again with the focus.  

Vanderbilt started hot last year, and then couldn’t seem to do anything right in a shocking loss to a bad Georgia State squad. And again, the SEC season rolls on with Alabama up next.

For all of the good things Vandy does, it commits a ton of penalties, and the secondary has given up a few too many yards over the last few weeks – to be fair, Georgia State kept throwing to keep up.

Former Utah Utes will keep throwing. He’s been deadly accurate lately, the Aggies are among the best in the nation in passing efficiency, and …

Why Vanderbilt Will Win

The Commodores have been close to flawless so far.

There was a problem running against South Carolina, but it was a 31-7 SEC road win, so who cares? Thanks to another wonderful season from Diego Pavia, they’re running well, throwing better, and everything keeps moving.

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The offensive line. has been fantastic so far. Pavia’s decision-making and mobility help, but the front five have taken over games. The defensive side is great at getting into the backfield, and …

Vanderbilt Will Beat Utah State on the Lines

The Aggie lines have been solid so far in most areas, but the pass protection has occasionally been a bit of an issue.

The run D couldn’t hold up against Texas A&M or Air Force, and Vanderbilt will start grinding early on. On the other side, the steady pass rush should take over in key moments against a line that’s allowing four sacks per game.

Vanderbilt vs Utah State Prediction, Betting Lines

Vanderbilt 44, Utah State 20
Line: Vanderbilt -22.5, o/u: 60.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 2.5

Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

– CFN 1-136 Rankings

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Related: LSU vs Ole Miss Prediction: The SEC’s Best Game of the Week?

This story was originally reported by College Football News on Sep 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday he was looking at “the best of Utah” when he addressed the steering committee formed to advise organizers of the 2034 Winter Games at the end of their first in-person meeting.

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks for our state. Certainly there are a lot of people that didn’t know much about Utah,” the governor said, but being an Olympic host “may be the one thing that they do know.”

In remarks that Cox said were different than he planned to make, he repeated what he was told about the deadly shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 that put the state in the spotlight.

While at the University of Notre Dame to participate in a discussion about “Pragmatism over Polarization,” the governor said he was approached by an alumnus from New York who expressed gratitude toward Utah.

“He said, ‘You need to know that bad things are going to happen. Worse things are going to happen and the world needs Utah right now. I’m so grateful that your state was the one, because I think if it happened anywhere else, it would have been a lot worse for our country.’”

“That’s who you are,” the governor said to the community, political, business and sports leaders gathered in a small meeting room at Little America, where hundreds of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials are also meeting this week.

Praising the steering committee members for their efforts to help “pull off an incredible worldwide event,” Cox said they’re “the doers. Because of that, I have no worries at all about the Olympics. I know right now, I can promise you, that this will be the greatest Olympics.”

Cox said Utahns are “a bit battered. We’re a little bit bruised. But we are not broken. We are better than the worst among us and the nation needs us right now. They’re going to need us in 2034. And we’re going to show them how to do this right.”

Earlier in the 1½-hourlong meeting, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the Olympics are something to feel a part of during “an emotional time in America.” The mayor said “whatever disagreements we have matter not in the face of what we’re doing here together.”

Leaders of the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games said the event can be a positive force.

“All of us feel the tragedy of any loss of life. It’s so hard. And it’s so difficult for our society. The Games have the power to bring people together,” Fraser Bullock, the organizing committee’s president and executive chair, told reporters after the meeting.

“We want to bring that ray of light, that hope to the world, in what we do. And in hosting the world here, we want to maximize this opportunity to do that,” said Bullock, who helped lead Utah’s first Olympics, held just months after the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.

Brad Wilson, CEO of the 2034 Games, said “regardless of the challenges that the world is facing, our job is to focus on the value of Olympic competition, the value of hosting the world and to try to be a consistent kind of rudder … to give people something to focus on that’s positive.”

Wilson announced at the steering committee meeting there will be a celebration on Nov. 24 to mark 3,000 days to the start of the 2034 Games with Opening Ceremonies at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium.

He said the organizing committee, which currently has eight employees and three consultants on the payroll, will fill some nine more positions in the coming year. By Games time, Wilson said there will be 50,000 employees, volunteers and contractors.

How the state can benefit from a second Winter Games, the subject of a new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, was also discussed.

Huntsman Family Foundation CEO David Huntsman said there’s an opportunity to think beyond improving infrastructure to addressing societal needs, particularly when it comes to mental health.

Huntsman, who spoke in June at an International Olympic Committee forum in Switzerland about improving the support available to athletes around the world for their mental health, said the 2034 Games can be used as a “platform for change.”

But there’s no time to wait, he said.

“We need to be using every opportunity between now and then to be implementing those changes,” Huntsman said, to hopefully leave a legacy that has “impact on real people’s lives, beyond those who normally would be associated or participate in the Games.”

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

Kickoff Time: 3:30PM ET

Location: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia

Channel: FOX

Announcers: Jason Benetti (PBP), Robert Griffin III (analyst), and Alexa Landestoy (sideline)

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Online Streaming: Fox Sports with a valid cable subscription

Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates) | Sirius Channel 111 or 199 and Streaming Channel 953 | WVU Gameday App (Apple | Android)

Radio Announcers: Tony Caridi (PBP), Dwight Wallace (analyst), Jed Drenning (sideline), Andrew Caridi, and John Antonik (Pre/Postgame Show)

Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Broadcast Information:

Tune in to FOX and the Fox Sports app (with a valid cable subscription) to catch the live broadcast of the game. Jason Benetti will be on the call, while Robert Griffin III will provide analysis. Alexa Landestoy will report from the sideline.

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Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning will man their usual roles for the Mountaineer Sports Network radio broadcast, while Andrew Caridi and John Antonik handle the pre/postgame shows.

Betting Odds:

Get in on the action with our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook. These odds are current as of 12:00PM on Wednesday, September 24th and are subject to change, so make sure to keep an eye on them before kickoff.

• West Virginia: +13.5 points

• Utah: -13.5 points

• Over/Under: 47.5 total points

Key Stats:

Here are some stats to keep in mind as the game unfolds:

• Series History: West Virginia and Utah have met just twice, both in bowl games, and the Utes won both — 32–6 in the 1964 Liberty Bowl and 30–14 in the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl. Saturday will be the first matchup in Morgantown.

• Utah is putting up 36.8 points per game and ranks among the nation’s top 20 in rushing offense at 243 yards per game.

• WVU’s offense has leaned on the ground game too, averaging just over 200 rushing yards per game, good for top 40 nationally.

• The Mountaineer defense has produced 13 sacks through four games, tied for fourth in the country.

• Red zone execution has been a strength — WVU is a perfect 12-for-12 on scoring chances, tied for first nationally.

• Utah’s defense has been equally sharp, holding opponents to 14.8 points per game and under 300 total yards on average.

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Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey, the No. 5 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, is parting ways with manager Omar Cooper, multiple league sources have informed The Athletic.

Bailey, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Rutgers, is seeking new representation. He and his camp have done interviews to this point, league sources say, but a decision on who he will ultimately go with has not been made.

Cooper’s son, Sharife, recently signed with the Washington Wizards on a two-way contract. In the pre-draft process, Cooper advised Bailey not to work out for any of the teams that owned a top-five pick. The wide belief is that Cooper wanted Bailey to land with the Wizards, who owned the No. 6 pick. The Jazz interviewed Bailey at the pre-draft combine in Chicago. But they were not able to get him into Utah for a pre-draft workout.

The only team in the top five that came close to getting Bailey in, according to league sources, was the Philadelphia 76ers, who owned the No. 3 pick. Bailey and his camp committed to a workout, but it fell through, and the Sixers selected guard VJ Edgecombe with the third pick.

Bailey is slated to compete for a spot in head coach Will Hardy’s starting lineup. At the very least, Bailey should become a rotation player in his rookie season.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Kevin Love is joining the Jazz after all

According to Grant Afseth, Kevin Love will be joining the Utah Jazz at training camp.

According to Afseth, the Jazz have not advanced buyout discussions and expect Love to join the Utah Jazz training camp next week.

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It’s clear that there was not a lot of headway made in the buyout talks, and Love is still technically part of the Jazz. Utah is making such strong moves as they continue to do things in a way they’ve never done before. Kevin Love certainly seemed to expect that every wish would be granted, that he would simply be bought out and join whoever he wanted. Not the case with this Jazz team. Utah will certainly still work with Love to find a situation that works for both sides, but there is no hurry to do something if it doesn’t make sense for the Jazz. Love also brings experience and can be a mentor for the young Jazz bigs.

Utah Jazz waive KJ Martin

According to Michael Scotto, the Utah Jazz waived KJ Martin.

Martin had an $8M non-guaranteed contract that is now freed up for the rest of the season.

Utah is doing great work cleaning up their books and making sure they’re free and clear with every decision they make. If I could describe the short Austin Ainge stint with the Jazz so far, I’d describe it as disciplined. Utah is keeping their focus on their plan and not making hasty moves that don’t fit with the long-term plan. It’s extremely refreshing.