FCC Unveils $200M Cybersecurity Program Amid Rising School Cyberattacks
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a $200 million pilot program aimed at bolstering cybersecurity in schools and libraries nationwide. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel highlighted the growing threat, noting that school districts of all sizes, from Los Angeles Unified in California to St. Landry Parish in Louisiana, have fallen victim to cyberattacks.
“The initiative will gather pivotal data to understand whether and how universal service funds could support the cybersecurity needs of educational institutions,” Rosenworcel stated.
While specific details of the program remain undisclosed, it is designed to counter increasingly sophisticated ransomware and other cyberattacks. With educational institutions becoming prime targets, the sensitive information of students, parents, and teachers faces unprecedented risk. This three-year initiative marks the first federal funding effort aimed specifically at elevating school district security.
Modeled after the Connected Care Pilot Program and financed through the Universal Service Fund, this program will collaborate with participating schools and libraries to enhance cybersecurity measures and upgrade infrastructure.
“Schools are target-rich environments for cyberattacks, such as ransomware, and are low-hanging fruit because they are often resource-constrained and lack cyber expertise. Bad actors know this and take advantage of it,” FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks wrote. In 2023, the education sector experienced over 1,700 attacks, a staggering 258% rise from 2022.
St. Landry Parish Incident Highlights Urgency
In August 2023, St. Landry Parish discovered that its servers and stored data had been encrypted by hackers. The hacker group Medusa subsequently placed a $1,000,000 bounty on the stolen data, later leaking sensitive details, including Social Security numbers, on the dark web. This breach underscores the immediate danger posed to even smaller school districts.
The spike in cyberattacks extends beyond rural areas to major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and suburban Washington, D.C. In 2023 alone, the University of New Orleans, River Parishes Community College, Nunez Community College, Southern University at Shreveport, and the LSU Agricultural Center faced potential cyber threats. These assaults follow one of the largest cyberattacks in American history – the MOVEit attack on the Office of Motor Vehicles, impacting every Louisiana resident with a state ID and bearing international consequences.
The Broader Impact
“Schools can be taken offline for days, sometimes weeks, disrupting valuable learning time,” added Rosenworcel. The complexities and vulnerabilities in the networks of the Nation’s schools and libraries are becoming more pronounced, necessitating actionable measures.
“This situation is complex. But the vulnerabilities in the networks we have in our Nation's schools and libraries are real — and growing. So today we are doing something about it,” concluded Rosenworcel.
With cyberattacks escalating in frequency and sophistication, the FCC’s decisive action aims to safeguard the education sector. Stay updated with further developments on this critical initiative.
For more information, visit the FCC's official announcement.
