WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — K-12 public schools have improved protection against the threat of online attacks, but lax cybersecurity means thousands of others are vulnerable to ransomware gangs that can steal confidential data and disrupt operations.

Since a white House conference in August regarding ransomware threat, dozens of school districts have registered for free cybersecurity services. Federal officials have conducted exercises with schools to help them learn how to secure their networks, said Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology.

Neuberger said more districts must take advantage of programs available to guard against online attackers who are increasingly targeting schools. The goal of attacks is to lock computer systems and, in some cases, steal and publish sensitive personal information if a ransom is not paid.

The administration announced steps to help cash-strapped schools, which have been slow to build cybersecurity defense. Ransomware attackers have forced schools to close temporarily and have exposed students' private information.

In October, parents sued the Clark County School District in Nevada, alleging a ransomware attack led to the release of sensitive information about teachers, students and their families. In another case this year, hackers accessed the Minneapolis Public Schools system and dumped sexual assault case records and other sensitive files after the district refused to pay a $1 million ransom.

More than 9,000 small public school districts in the U.S. with up to 2,500 students, roughly 70 percent of public districts, are eligible for no-cost cybersecurity services from Cloudflare, through a program called Project Cybersafe Schools, Neuberger said. Since August, about 140 districts in 32 states have joined the program, which provides free email security and other online threat protection, she said.

A $20 million grant program from Amazon Web Services designed to help schools improve their cybersecurity, has received about 130 applications, Neuberger said.

James Hatz, technology coordinator for Rush City Public Schools in Minnesota, said the program arrived at a good time for the district, stopping 100 suspicious emails from getting to staff. Hatz said cybercriminals often try to get teachers to click on malicious links by pretending to be an administrator sharing documents about information such as pay raises.

Federal Communications Commission has proposed a pilot program that would $200 million available over three years to strengthen cyber defense in schools and libraries. Neuberger said she hopes that money is accessible to schools in the “near future.”

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