Recent reporting from Cybersecurity Dive reveals how DEF CON Franklin, a partnership between the DEF CON hacker conference, the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, and the National Rural Water Association, has connected volunteer cybersecurity experts with small, underfunded water systems since late 2024. The program has deployed 27 volunteers to 21 utilities across seven states, helping with basics like multifactor authentication, network mapping, and incident-response planning.
NRWA's role as a trusted partner has been key to building utility buy-in, and participants like Wilder, Idaho's Chelsie Johnson credit the program with major security gains despite having no dedicated IT staff.
The reporting also highlights a hard truth: many "free" cybersecurity offers from vendors come with costly strings attached, making them inaccessible to cash-strapped utilities. While Franklin's volunteer model can't replace full-time managed security services, its impact is spreading as participating operators share what they've learned with neighboring systems, extending its reach well beyond the utilities it directly serves.