Center for Internet Security Awards Nearly $250,000 to Purdue University’s Technical Assistance Program

The Alan Paller Laureate Program Grant Will Support Cyber Underserved Communities

EAST GREENBUSH, NY, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®) is proud to announce that Purdue University’s Cyber Technical Assistance Program (cyberTAP) has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Alan Paller Laureate Program grant. The nearly $250,000 award will support Purdue cyberTAP’s mission to enhance cybersecurity resilience among rural electric cooperatives and other underserved critical infrastructure providers.

This annual grant, named in honor of CIS Co-Founder Alan Paller, recognizes organizations that demonstrate exceptional commitment to advancing practical cybersecurity solutions and workforce development. Purdue cyberTAP was selected for its innovative approach to delivering cybersecurity services grounded in the CIS Critical Security Controls, tailored to the unique needs of rural utilities.

“The generous support from the Alan Paller Laureate Program will be transformative for Purdue's cyberTAP team and the rural electricity cooperatives we serve,” said George Bailey, Director of Purdue cyberTAP. “This funding empowers us to develop and deliver targeted cybersecurity services built around the CIS Critical Security Controls, providing essential protection for critical infrastructure in underserved communities. By bringing enterprise-grade security practices to these vital utilities, we're not just strengthening individual cooperatives — we're helping to secure America's energy grid where it's most vulnerable.”

The Alan Paller Laureate Program was established to honor Paller’s legacy of championing real-world cybersecurity solutions and fostering the next generation of cyber defenders. Purdue cyberTAP’s work exemplifies this mission by bridging the cybersecurity gap in regions often overlooked by traditional support systems.

“Alan Paller's legacy of practical cybersecurity excellence lives on through this (cyberTAP) initiative, creating ripple effects of resilience throughout rural America,” said Bailey.

For more information about the Alan Paller Laureate Program and the Center for Internet Security, visit cisecurity.org. To learn more about Purdue University’s cyberTAP program, visit Cybersecurity Education and Professional Services - cyberTAP. For more information, contact media@cisecurity.org.

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About CIS
The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through our core competencies of collaboration and innovation. We are a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Critical Security Controls^® and CIS Benchmarks^®, globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. We lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously refine these standards to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Our CIS Hardened Images^® provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center^® (MS-ISAC^®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government entities. To learn more, visit CISecurity.org or follow us on X: @CISecurity.

Kelly Wyland
Center for Internet Security
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