Yearly Grant to Student Demonstrating Leadership in Cybersecurity
Reno, NV (November 6, 2025) – Viakoo, a leader in vulnerability remediation for IoT, OT, and CPS systems today announced the establishment of the “Cyber Defense Leadership” scholarship at the University of Nevada, Reno. This new program will provide $10,000 to fund an annual scholarship to recognize and nurture the next generation of cybersecurity talent and leadership at the University. With the emergence of new types of threat vectors, including AI-driven threats, more focus on creating next generation security solutions is urgently needed.
Viakoo made this announcement at the University’s annual Cybersecurity Conference, which this year is focused on the impact AI is having on both cyber threats and cyber defense. Northern Nevada as a region is at the forefront of ensuring the security of individuals and organizations, as evidenced through multiple high-tech companies based there, legislative leadership from Congressman Mark Amodei, and the University’s educational and research mission.
“The skills gap in the cybersecurity industry remains as one of the biggest challenges to effective cyber defense.” said Bud Broomhead, CEO and founder of Viakoo. “Innovation must happen at a faster pace to combat IoT cyber vulnerabilities, which is why we are proud to work with University of Nevada, Reno Cybersecurity Center to advance our industry’s capabilities. Not only does this scholarship help to alleviate some of the financial burden for highly-motivated students but it also reinforces the importance of their studies in making a safer world.”
Cyber threats from IoT systems pose a severe risk to both digital and physical worlds. Within enterprises there are billions of unsecured devices, from smart cameras to industrial controls in power grids and factories, which create a massive attack surface. Hackers exploit outdated firmware, weak or default passwords, or lack of certificates to create powerful botnets, launch crippling denial-of-service attacks, or even cause dangerous real-world disruption and equipment failure.
About Viakoo
Viakoo enables customers to defend their IoT attack surface. Viakoo’s vision is for every connected enterprise device to be 100% visible, operational, and secured. The agentless Viakoo Action Platform keeps distributed unmanaged and IoT environments secure and continuously operational at the lowest risk and cost. Automated device cyber hygiene is reliably updated at scale with firmware, passwords, and certificates to elevate security posture and system performance to enterprise IT expectations. Viakoo Inc. is a leader in cyber hygiene for connected devices. All Viakoo solutions are fully conceived and developed in the U.S.A. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook and for more information on Viakoo, please visit www.viakoo.com.
About University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno is a public research university that is committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. As a Nevada land-grant university founded in 1874, the University serves 21,000 students. The University is a comprehensive, doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Additionally, it has attained the prestigious “Carnegie Engaged” classification, reflecting its student and institutional impact on civic engagement and service, fostered by extensive community and statewide collaborations. More than $800 million in advanced labs, residence halls and facilities has been invested on campus since 2009. It is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Wolf Pack Athletics, maintains a statewide outreach mission and presence through programs such as the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center, Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Through a commitment to world-improving research, student success and outreach benefiting the communities and businesses of Nevada, the University has impact across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.
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