Fall is coming quickly, and parents all over the country are getting their kids ready for a new school year. But before schools open their doors for students’ first day, leaders in Washington are working to boost cybersecurity measures in K-12 school districts.
To do that, the Biden administration is turning to American tech companies.
Cyber attacks are a growing problem for schools across the U.S., with at least eight school districts last year suffering data breaches and ransomware attacks launched by bad actors online. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, those attacks have put kids’ data at risk and cost children months of learning loss.
Recently, the Biden administration met with school administrators, educators, and American tech companies to find real solutions to cyber attacks against schools. Companies including Amazon, Google, Cloudflare, and D2L, have committed to taking steps to do just that.
Amazon Web Services announced that it’s funding a $20 million K-12 cyber grant program to push back against cyber attackers, and the company is offering free security training to school officials to strengthen schools’ cyber defense capabilities. Google, which provides its many of its products and services for free to schools, unveiled its new K-12 Cybersecurity Guidebook to show school administrators the most effective and impactful steps school districts can take to boost cybersecurity.
American tech companies already play a critical role in U.S. cybersecurity. Now, they’re bringing those cybersecurity capabilities into schools around the country – and they’re committed to keeping kids safe.