CyberNut

Case Study: Zeeland Public Schools

CyberNut Implementation in K-12 Education

Background

Mark Washington, the Director of Technology at Zeeland Public Schools (ZPS), has dedicated over 34 years to education technology. Like many school districts nationwide, ZPS faced an increasing challenge: a growing frequency of sophisticated phishing attacks.

Initially, ZPS relied on a generic phishing training solution provided through their cyber insurance company. Unfortunately, this resulted in consistently low engagement and minimal improvement. Recognizing the urgent need for change, Mark explored new options—and discovered CyberNut.

Problem

ZPS identified critical shortcomings with their existing cybersecurity training solution:

Low Engagement: Training sessions were perceived as tedious and uninspiring, resulting in low teacher participation.
Ineffective Training: Trainings failed to effectively improve awareness or behavior, with teachers continuing to inadvertently click suspicious emails.
Time Constraints: Teachers faced significant time constraints, making lengthy, conventional training
sessions impractical.

Solution

In search of a more impactful solution, Mark was introduced to CyberNut, a cybersecurity platform purpose-built for the unique demands of K-12 education. CyberNut uses gamification and positive reinforcement strategies to effectively engage teachers and staff, promoting lasting behavioral change.

Key Features of CyberNut

Gamification: The platform rewards users with "acorns" for reporting suspicious emails,
creating a competitive and engaging environment.

Continuous Training: CyberNut implements a perpetual training model, sending phishing simulation emails every other week, rather than relying on quarterly or annual training sessions.

Personalized Learning: The platform adapts to individual user performance, increasing or decreasing the difficulty of phishing simulations based on user behavior.

Real-Time Reporting: Users can report suspicious emails easily, and the system provides
immediate feedback and training based on their actions.

Data-Driven Insights: The platform offers a comprehensive dashboard that tracks user engagement, click rates, and reported threats, allowing for data-driven decision-making.

Serious Problem

Problem

ZPS identified critical shortcomings with their existing cybersecurity training solution:

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Users who Clicked the Link

This graph illustrates the impact of CyberNut on Zeeland schools, with blue representing the period before implementation and red showing the results after. The data highlights a significant and positive shift in behavior, demonstrating a clear reduction in clicks on phishing links after CyberNut’s training and awareness initiatives were introduced. This decline reflects improved recognition of phishing threats and a stronger security culture within the schools.

This graphic illustrates CyberNut’s sustained impact over time, demonstrating a consistent increase in phishing reports alongside a steady decline in risky clicks. These trends highlight the effectiveness of ongoing cybersecurity awareness and training in strengthening schools’ security posture.

Conclusion

The Zeeland Public Schools case clearly demonstrates CyberNut’s effectiveness in solving common K-12 cybersecurity challenges. By leveraging engaging gamification methods, continuous adaptive training, and intuitive real-time reporting, CyberNut drove significant improvements in staff participation, threat detection, and cybersecurity awareness. ZPS’s experience serves as a strong blueprint for other school districts aiming to enhance their cybersecurity practices.

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