AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) – Auburn University’s McCrary Institute is partnering with cities and organizations across Alabama to prevent ransomware and cybersecurity attacks, which the institute says average nearly four weeks of shutdown time per incident.
The Alabama Cybersecurity Intelligence Center, housed at the Auburn Research Park, is part of a $19 million, five-year federal investment grant aimed at keeping local entities prepared for cyberattacks.
Who is at risk
Cities, counties, schools and hospitals are among the entities most vulnerable to attacks. Nick Sellers of the McCrary Institute said a successful attack can cut off an organization’s ability to function entirely.
“They can lock those down, and they can hold them hostage until cities or counties pay them money to get their networks back online,” Sellers said.
According to International Business Machines, the average cost of a data breach for U.S. organizations in 2025 was $10.22 million. IBM also reported that 34 percent of local agencies — including schools, water authorities, fire stations and cities — were compromised by ransomware attacks last year.
How the institute is responding
The McCrary Institute currently monitors networks for more than 140 cities and counties in Alabama, but hundreds more operate on low budgets with outdated software. Sellers said that gap creates an uneven playing field.
“It’s an unfair advantage that the bad guys have over the good guys,” Sellers said.
Sellers said criminal syndicate groups and enemy nation states are responsible for thousands of attacks on local entities each year, and that artificial intelligence has lowered the barrier for bad actors.
“The rules of the game have changed, and it’s a lot easier for bad actors to get in. They can use AI now to help teach them and to help enable them to do a cyberattack,” Sellers said.
Human error also plays a role. Sellers noted that clicking on a suspicious email link can open the door to ransomware.
“All of us when we’re getting busy we may not look to see who it’s from, we may click on it and that invites ransomware, it invites a cyberattack into our networks,” Sellers said.
What the grant provides
In addition to around-the-clock network monitoring, the grant allows the McCrary Institute to provide municipalities with updated equipment and cybersecurity awareness training at no cost.
“They get biweekly threat intelligence reports — what’s happening, who else is being attacked, how were they attacked, what are things I need to be thinking about to better protect my system from a cyberattack in real time,” Sellers said.
Sellers added that a coordinated defense is more effective than individual efforts.
“Our defense systems are better when we work as a team, because attackers attack in campaigns,” Sellers said.
The McCrary Institute said it hopes to expand the program to every city in Alabama.
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