{"id":1396,"date":"2023-06-02T13:47:54","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T13:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=74490"},"modified":"2023-06-02T13:47:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T13:47:54","slug":"how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2023\/06\/02\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware\/","title":{"rendered":"How university cybersecurity clinics can help cities fight ransomware"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><head> <meta charset=\"UTF-8\"> <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\"> <meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1\"> <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.5 (Yoast SEO v20.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <title>How university cybersecurity clinics can help cities fight ransomware | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cybersecurity faculty and students can be a valuable resource to help local governments and business build cyber capacity.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cybersecurity-clinics-ransomware\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How university cybersecurity clinics can help cities fight ransomware\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cybersecurity faculty and students can be a valuable resource to help local governments and business build cyber capacity.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cybersecurity-clinics-ransomware\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-02T13:47:54+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-02T13:51:52+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"eliasgroll\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/cdn.parsely.com\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/use.typekit.net\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/feed\/\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/comments\/feed\/\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-0\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/block-library\/style.min.css?m=1684764845g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress-next\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1685722702g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-4\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/themes\/scoopnewsgroup\/dist\/css\/frontend.css?m=1685981853g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=172264176d4de0f97962\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74490\"><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\">\n<link rel=\"wlwmanifest\" type=\"application\/wlwmanifest+xml\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/wlwmanifest.xml\">\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.2.2\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=74490\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fcybersecurity-clinics-ransomware%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fcybersecurity-clinics-ransomware%2F&amp;format=xml\">\n<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"How university cybersecurity clinics can help cities fight ransomware\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"http:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cybersecurity-clinics-ransomware\/\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-06-02T13:47:54Z\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Commentary\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"cybercrime,hacking,ransomware,universities\"><br \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"eliasgroll\"> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=32\" sizes=\"32x32\">\n<link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=192\" sizes=\"192x192\">\n<link rel=\"apple-touch-icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-74490 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-dark-grayscale\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-grayscale\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-purple-yellow\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.54901960784314 0.98823529411765\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.71764705882353 0.25490196078431\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-blue-red\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.27843137254902\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.5921568627451 0.27843137254902\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-midnight\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.64705882352941\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-magenta-yellow\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.78039215686275 1\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.94901960784314\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.35294117647059 0.47058823529412\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-purple-green\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.65098039215686 0.40392156862745\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 1\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.44705882352941 0.4\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-blue-orange\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.098039215686275 1\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.66274509803922\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.84705882352941 0.41960784313725\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cybersecurity-clinics-ransomware\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"23.543824701195\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"29.117647058824\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/commentary\/\"> <span>Commentary<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Cybersecurity faculty and students can be a valuable resource to help local governments and business build cyber capacity. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg?resize=300,168 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/how-university-cybersecurity-clinics-can-help-cities-fight-ransomware-1.jpg?resize=600,337 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption> Getty Images <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"41.629132726402\"><body readability=\"83.762088974855\"><\/p>\n<p>When the Royal ransomware group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/public-safety\/2023\/05\/04\/a-group-called-royal-is-behind-the-ransomware-attack-on-dallas-the-city-said\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">struck computer systems<\/a> in Dallas earlier this month, the attack disrupted public safety systems, 311 services, municipal courts, and other city departments and services. The attack forced courts to close. Police struggled to access internal share drives. The city library system\u2019s database and catalogue went down. And city officials estimate it will take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/security\/dallas-officials-say-ransomware-recovery-could-take-months?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioscodebook&amp;stream=top\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">months<\/a> to recover.<\/p>\n<p>Ransomware groups are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2023\/05\/16\/ransomware-us-cities-towns-local-government-hackers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increasingly targeting U.S. municipalities<\/a>, and the difficulties Dallas officials face in getting back up and running illustrate just how vulnerable U.S. cities are to ransomware attacks. The fact that a relatively well-resourced city like Dallas is struggling to recover from a ransomware attack hints at the far greater difficulties smaller municipalities face when their IT systems come under attack.<\/p>\n<p>In the aftermath of ransomware attacks, cities frequently turn to the federal government for assistance, but such aid is mostly reactive. It would be better if cities were positioned to prevent these breaches in the first place. But all too often municipalities lack the resources and human capital to defend themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Today, <a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecurityclinics.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">university-led cybersecurity clinic<\/a> programs are trying to fill this gap by building local cyber capacity. At institutions like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.strausscenter.org\/cybersecurity\/apply-here-cyber-clinic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the University of Texas at Austin<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/urbancyberdefense.mit.edu\/cybersecurityclinic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MIT<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberarch.uga.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the University of Georgia<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/cltc.berkeley.edu\/program\/citizen-clinic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UC Berkeley<\/a>, cyber clinics are working to protect local institutions from cyber threats by training and deploying students to government and community groups to provide free cyber risk assessments and give simple, step-by-step recommendations. In some clinics, students are designing and implementing custom cybersecurity solutions to bolster client defenses and guide future incident response.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Clinics such as these are well-positioned to help local institutions better protect themselves online. As Sarah Powazek of and Marc Rogers <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/us-cyber-strategy-local-cybersecurity-volunteers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently wrote<\/a> for CyberScoop, universities are typically deeply embedded in their local communities and have the trusting relationships required to assist critical city departments with onsite cyber resources. The university clinic model has existed in medical and law schools for decades to train the next generation of leaders in these fields with hands-on, real-world experience. Extending the clinic model to cybersecurity gives students experience while offering municipalities access to valuable expertise. Town-gown clinic partnerships like these advance university goals, provide necessary public services back to their host cities and help to fill a nationwide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/state-federal-cyber-workforce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cybersecurity workforce gap<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Applied Cybersecurity Community Clinic at The University of Texas at Austin launched this year as one such partnership. The fruit of discussions with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/resources-tools\/groups\/cisa-cybersecurity-advisory-committee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency\u2019s Cybersecurity Advisory Board<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">city of Austin<\/a> and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.strausscenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UT Austin\u2019s Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law<\/a>, the clinic provides pro bono cybersecurity services to community organizations and small businesses that cannot afford such services on their own, while giving students hands-on cybersecurity experience.<\/p>\n<p>Given Austin\u2019s burgeoning tech ecosystem and staggering urban growth, the city provides a perfect testbed for delivering cybersecurity services via a university clinic. Austin is home to a large number of disruptive tech start-ups, many of which are more focused on growth than cybersecurity and in need of the clinic\u2019s services. And as the city grows, Austin\u2019s nonprofits and city services are in need of robust digital services as they support underserved Austinites who have been adversely impacted by cost-of-living increases. Between these sectors, the UT Austin cybersecurity clinic\u2019s inaugural student cohort will deploy to serve a mix of small business, nonprofit and public sector clients in the 2023-2024 school year.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the transitory nature of college students and the legal risks involved in incident mitigation, university clinics are not especially situated to provide boots-on-the-ground incident response services. But by serving as force multipliers, university cybersecurity clinics help to accomplish cyber defense goals across local, state, and federal governments. Clinics alleviate requests for state and federal resources by emphasizing a hyper-local preventative approach to cybersecurity. By tracking students into the cybersecurity workforce, clinics may ease the shortage of cybersecurity expertise by providing a talent pipeline and internship-like experiences to bridge existing gaps.<\/p>\n<p>The cybersecurity clinic network is<a href=\"http:\/\/cybersecurityclinics.org\/\"> growing<\/a>, and clinics represent a sustainable, scalable and long-term presence in the areas they serve. As we seek to grow the cyber workforce, clinics serve as a valuable resource to leverage the expertise of university students and faculty to address the immediate needs of communities with their unique forms of cyber mutual aid. As the workforce catches up and more skilled professionals enter the field, clinics can evolve and adapt their services, offering advanced cybersecurity solutions, specialized consulting expertise and research collaboration. In the future, clinics working together could standardize research and reporting on cyber incidents that affect their clients to better inform the defense of U.S. computer systems. The sustained presence of cyber clinics will be essential in supporting the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape and ensuring small, local organizations have resources to combat emerging threats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Incorporating university-led cybersecurity clinic programs into local cyber planning and prevention offers a proactive and free third-party solution to ransomware attacks on under-resourced U.S. cities. Municipalities in areas with active clinics should seek clinic assistance to foster local cyber resilience and reduce reliance on reactive state and federal intervention. Municipalities interested in more information about cyber clinics should consult <a href=\"http:\/\/cybersecurityclinics.org\/\">the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics<\/a> for resources and contact information.<\/p>\n<p><em>Francesca Lockhart leads the Applied Cybersecurity Community Clinic at The University of Texas at Austin.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<p> <!-- .popular-stories__stories --> <\/div>\n<p><!-- .popular-stories__inner -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .popular-stories --> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Start of HubSpot Embed Code --> <!-- End of HubSpot Embed Code --> <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cybersecurity-clinics-ransomware\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How university cybersecurity clinics can help cities fight ransomware |<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[280,282,281,46,283],"tags":[284,286,285,54,287],"class_list":["post-1396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-cybercrime","category-hacking","category-ransomware","category-universities","tag-commentary","tag-cybercrime","tag-hacking","tag-ransomware","tag-universities"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/commentary\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Commentary<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybercrime\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cybercrime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/hacking\/\" rel=\"category tag\">hacking<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/ransomware\/\" rel=\"category tag\">ransomware<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/universities\/\" rel=\"category tag\">universities<\/a>","tag_info":"universities","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}