What a journey this past year has been for us at the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics! As we embark on 2024, we’re eager to reflect on last year’s accomplishments and share new data collected from the 2022-23 academic year on the growth of the cybersecurity clinics.
Training More Students Than Ever Before
University-based cybersecurity clinics provide hands-on training to students from diverse backgrounds and academic expertise. This training initiative aims to strengthen the digital defenses of community organizations that often fall through the cracks of cyber defense, as well as train the next generation of cyber civil defenders.
Our latest data shows that over 880 students nationwide have benefitted from this training initiative. Moreover, the 2022-23 academic year marked a significant milestone for the Consortium, with a record-breaking number of over 450 students trained – a 150 percent increase from the previous year. This cohort represents the largest group of students trained in the Consortium’s five-year history.
Expansion of the Clinics Model
Since its inception five years ago in 2018, our network of university-based cybersecurity clinics has grown to encompass 15 active clinic locations. Our clinics now spread across nine different states, bringing us closer to our ultimate goal of launching a university cybersecurity clinic in all 50 U.S. states by 2030.
The Consortium is committed to expanding the reach and impact of cybersecurity clinics in partnership with Google.org, which is committing more than $20 million dollars to support the creation and expansion of cybersecurity clinics at 20 higher education institutions across the United States.
80+ Public Interest Organizations Served
Many public interest organizations that provide essential public services lack the resources for basic cybersecurity self-defense. Our university-based cybersecurity clinics provide pro bono assistance to these kinds of “target-rich, resource-poor” organizations to help them develop long-term cybersecurity defense, increase their resilience, and expand their cyber security capacity.
Over the past five years, our clinics have supported 83 local and regional resource-strapped organizations with cybersecurity assistance.
Clinics served a diverse range of public interest-aligned clients in the 2022-23 academic year. Non-profit organizations comprised over half of our clients (52%), with local governments following as the second-largest group served (18%). Additionally, Small businesses (10%) , K-12 education institutions (8%), and healthcare organizations (6%) made up a significant portion of our clientele, underscoring the breadth of our impact across various sectors.
The Work Ahead
The Consortium is proud of the expansion of the clinic model and the positive results this initiative has had for cybersecurity students and community organizations across the country.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. We look forward to continuing our mission to amplify the upside of the digital revolution and ensure that everyone can safely benefit from what technology has to offer. We cannot wait to see how the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics continues to grow and make an impact for public interest organizations in the coming year.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics!
