ANNVILLE, PA \u2014 Pennsylvania organizations are receiving expanded cybersecurity support as the Pennsylvania National Guard reports delivering 1,170 hours of free training in 2025, saving an estimated $600,000 in costs.<\/p>\n
What This Means for You<\/p>\n
Free Cybersecurity Support: Schools, governments, and organizations can access no-cost training and assessments.
\nStronger Digital Defenses: Training helps prevent cyberattacks like phishing, malware, and data breaches.
\nMore Services Ahead: Proposed funding would expand support to additional communities statewide.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania National Guard\u2019s Cyber Protection Team provides services including vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and network monitoring\u2014tools used to identify weaknesses in computer systems, simulate cyberattacks to test defenses, and monitor networks for suspicious activity.<\/p>\n
State officials say the program is designed to help organizations detect and respond to cyber threats before they disrupt operations or compromise sensitive data.<\/p>\n
Growing Demand for Cyber Protection<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania is considered a high-value target for cyberattacks due to its extensive infrastructure, health care systems, and financial institutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncreased funding will help meet rising cybersecurity demands while safeguarding our communities and the critical systems they rely on,\u201d said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania\u2019s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n
The Cyber Protection Team works with local governments, schools, and infrastructure partners to strengthen defenses against threats such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and data breaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting our communities today means strengthening our defenses in cyberspace,\u201d said Lt. Col. Christine Pierce, director of cyber operations. \u201cThe Pennsylvania National Guard Cyber Protection Team is providing critical training to local governments, schools, and infrastructure partners so they can recognize, prevent, and respond to evolving cyber threats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local Impact and Use Cases<\/p>\n
Organizations that have participated in the program report improvements in their cybersecurity readiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with the Pennsylvania National Guard Cyber Protection Team has provided us with valuable insights and guidance to strengthen our cybersecurity posture,\u201d said Brian Paulhamus, director of technology for the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. \u201cTheir penetration testing and assessments deliver actionable findings that help us identify gaps, improve our defenses, and better safeguard the sensitive information entrusted to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials said the program\u2019s assessments help organizations identify vulnerabilities and implement stronger protections for sensitive data and critical systems.<\/p>\n
Proposed Funding Increase<\/p>\n
Governor Josh Shapiro\u2019s proposed 2026\u201327 budget includes increased funding for the Cyber Protection Team to meet growing demand and expand services to additional state and county agencies.<\/p>\n
Officials said the additional funding would support more cyber operations and improve coordination between state and local partners.<\/p>\n
How to Access Services<\/p>\n
Organizations interested in receiving cybersecurity assessments or training can contact the Pennsylvania National Guard at 717-712-6474 or 717-861-3416 to check eligibility and availability.<\/p>\n
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News<\/a> and MSN<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ANNVILLE, PA \u2014 Pennsylvania organizations are receiving expanded cybersecurity support as the Pennsylvania National Guard reports delivering 1,170…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[69218,17648,22267,2962,22269,69219,69220,30568,28,30,8005,29],"class_list":["post-152236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-computer-security","tag-cyberattack","tag-cybercrime","tag-cybersecurity","tag-cyberterrorism","tag-cyberwarfare","tag-hacking-computer-security","tag-military-technology","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-national-guard","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}