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Action1 Unveils ’School Defense’ Program To Help Small Educational Institutions Thwart Cyberattacks
April 2024 by Marc Jacob
Action1 Corporation, a provider of the integrated real-time vulnerability discovery and patch management automation solution, today introduced the ’School Defense’ program aimed at improving cybersecurity at small US educational institutions. The program will offer free access to the Action1 services and other resources to help IT teams at public schools and community colleges streamline vulnerability remediation and enhance their skills.
Small educational institutions that serve our local communities and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our society are on the front lines of the fight and are up against sophisticated threat actors when it comes to defending against cyberattacks. In addition to ensuring daily operational reliability, small IT teams at these taxpayer-funded organizations are now navigating national security issues and cyber threats, while wearing multiple hats.
"Securing schools is not only about protecting sensitive data and systems; it’s about safeguarding the education and well-being of the nation’s citizens, " said Mike Walters, President and co-founder of Action1 Corporation. "As a cybersecurity company, it’s our responsibility to step up and provide support."
According to statistics, 29% of attacks on educational institutions result from vulnerability exploitation, with an additional 30% originating from phishing campaigns targeting K-12 schools in 2023 alone. On average, there are 2300 reported attacks against educational organizations each week, highlighting the urgent need for improved cybersecurity measures. At the same time, studies show that an average school spends less than 8% of its budget on cybersecurity.
Jonathan Kim, Director of Technology at the Woodland Hills School District, emphasized the significance of tailored cybersecurity offerings for public schools and community colleges: "Unlike businesses, educational institutions often lack the opportunities to develop cybersecurity skills and resources. Therefore, having a cybersecurity vendor introduce school-specific initiatives is incredibly valuable, as it addresses the specific challenges schools face and provides much-needed support."
The ’School Defense’ program will include:
Free Action1 platform for the first 100 endpoints, empowering small schools to streamline remediation of security vulnerabilities in OS and third-party apps in a single solution deployable in less than five minutes.
Access to educational resources to help understaffed IT teams at small schools improve their expertise and skills, both tailored to education specifics and generally cybersecurity focused.
Eligible organizations are US-based K-12 public schools and community colleges. By empowering these organizations with the necessary tools and knowledge, Action1 aims to enhance their defense against cyber threats, safeguard educational operations, and mitigate potential impact of cyberattacks on local communities.
