K-12 Schools Bolster Cybersecurity Amid Ransomware Threats

Government and private sector initiatives aim to protect schools, but many remain vulnerable.

Since a White House conference in August, dozens of school districts have signed up for free cybersecurity services to guard against online attacks.
Ransomware attackers, many based in Russia, have forced schools to temporarily close and exposed students' private information.
More than 9,000 small public school districts across the U.S. are now eligible for free cybersecurity services from Cloudflare through Project Cybersafe Schools.
A $20 million grant program from Amazon Web Services designed to help schools improve their cybersecurity has received about 130 applications.
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a pilot program that would make up to $200 million available over three years to strengthen cyber defense in schools and libraries.