AUSTIN, Texas — The threat is vast and deep, and new digital warriors are on the frontlines.
As cybercriminals engineer round-the-clock break-ins to systems worldwide, security experts warn that the public only sees the tip of the iceberg. The truth, they say, is far more alarming.
“What we hear about on the news, I tell clients all the time, is probably one 1/100th of what’s actually going on out there,” says Bryson Byrd, a seasoned security expert. The constant barrage of attacks has transformed the cybersecurity landscape into a relentless digital war.
Nikki Jennings, Vice President of Technical Sales at Huntress, a cybersecurity firm founded by former NSA operators, underscores the scale of the problem. “The threat is pretty vast and it’s deep.”
The Target-Rich Environment
Threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated, mobile, and automated in their attacks. They’re leveraging every vulnerability they can find, but Jennings notes a laser focus on particular sectors.
“Healthcare agencies, government agencies, and education, because they have legacy systems,” Jennings explains, making them soft targets for criminals seeking valuable data or systemic disruption.
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Yet perhaps the most vulnerable targets are the smallest. Rachel B. Lee, co-owner of the Austin-based marketing firm Stand Out Authority, knows this all too well.
“Small businesses, I would say, are the number one target,” Lee states.
Lee’s firm was recently struck by a seemingly minor, yet devastatingly effective, attack. One of her employees reported not having been paid for two months, leading to a shocking discovery.
“It’s amazing how phishing, no matter what, could really impact your organization, and that’s what happened with us,” Lee explains. An email, “That seemingly looked like it was from our team, but it wasn’t,” had requested a bank account number change. The result: “We don’t have the money. The money went out.”
Training the Next Generation of Defenders
To fight this unseen enemy, a new defense is being forged. Huntress has teamed up with the Texas Cybersecurity Clinic at the University of Texas to train the next generation of cyber defenders.
“Our mission is to elevate small businesses that are underserved, under-resourced — and always under attack,” says Jennings.
For students at the clinic, the experience—a mix of lecture hall and digital war room—has revealed just how easily everyday life can be breached.
“The spectrum is really big and it’s everywhere,” says student Melisa Sozer. She notes that attacks often start with the smallest of cracks. “It’s small things. Things that you don’t even notice. It could be an ad you see somewhere. It could be an innocent text message you could get.”
This hands-on training is a real-life mission. Student Emma Fisk highlights the practical value: “Really more important than anything, we learned how to work with small businesses and local governments and how to optimize the resources they do have to better their cyber security posture.”
For business owners like Rachel B. Lee, this partnership provides a vital lifeline. “I don’t have the capacity or time to take this on, so I’ll take any free support from some smart kids. And so that’s exactly what happened.”
Bryson Byrd sees the Texas Clinic as a sign of progress, calling the initiative “a true partnership with the private sector.”
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In a digital world where a simple click can cost a small business everything, Texas is fighting back—one student, one business, and one critical partnership at a time.
