Amazon.com Inc.’s web services division is offering $20 million in cybersecurity grants to K-12 schools as part of a new White House initiative designed to help shield the nation’s elementary, middle, and high schools from attacks targeting school records and operations.
Amazon will also provide free security training and assistance for school districts experiencing cyber attacks, while Cloudflare Inc. will provide smaller school districts with internet browsing and email security software.
The Federal Communications Commission is also proposing a $200 million pilot program over the next three years that would help schools and libraries improve their cybersecurity.
The push, which will be announced by First Lady Jill Biden and other senior administration officials Monday, comes as schools have seen a rash of cybersecurity incidents impacting their operations.
Four US school districts were forced to cancel classes last year following hackings, while dozens of others saw student or employee grades and ratings, medical records, or financial information exposed. That included a ransomware attack targeting the Los Angeles Unified School District – the nation’s second-largest school district. In Arizona, hackers stole some 16,000 teachers’ social security numbers and other personal data.
Read more: Ransomware Gang Steals Tucson School Data; Teachers Left in Dark
“We are committed to helping education communities better prepare for cybersecurity risks, build cyber resilience, and access solutions to improve defenses at every point in their cybersecurity journey,” Kim Majerus, vice president for Education and US State and Local Government at Amazon Web Services, said in a statement.
In addition to the cybersecurity software and training, the Department of Education plans to establish a new council tasked with better coordinating cyber communications and policy between school districts and the federal government.
