CyberNut, a company that has developed a security awareness training platform designed specifically for the K-12 education sector, recently emerged from stealth mode.
The Miami, Florida-based startup aims to help K-12 schools address the threat of data breaches, a vast majority of which reportedly start with faculty or staff clicking on a phishing link.
CyberNut has developed an AI-powered, gamified tool designed to train teachers, faculty, staff, and students on how to recognize and report phishing attacks. The company says its solution is tailored to the specific operational and budgetary constraints of schools.
Oliver Page, CEO and co-founder of CyberNut, told SecurityWeek that the company has just closed a $800,000 pre-seed funding round. Investors include Charter School Growth Fund, Avalanche VC, and the Transcend Network.
CyberNut claims it’s already working with 50 school districts and its customers are quickly seeing results in users identifying phishing emails and reporting suspicious emails.
“As an advocate for digital safety in education, I cannot stress enough the immense risk that data breaches pose to our students,” Page said. “It’s not just the potential for financial disruption; it’s also the psychological toll that identity theft can have on students as young middle or high schoolers. A single phishing attack can lead to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of students’ personal information being compromised and up to millions of dollars in damages to a school or district.”
“Our approach is unconventional yet effective; we leverage gamification to transform cybersecurity training into an engaging, empowering training process,” Page added.
Schools in the United States are often targeted by cybercriminals, particularly ransomware groups. The cybersecurity agency CISA last year made available recommendations and resources to help boost cybersecurity in the K-12 education sector.
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