Potent Technology Assists In Higher Education Cybersecurity

In a safe and supportive learning environment, securely connecting to virtual systems is critical. This is especially true in higher education institutions, where students are increasingly studying in digital forms, and teachers, staff, and visitors continuously access and exchange information online. In addition, infrastructure and facility functions are progressively handled online.

Colleges and universities have powerful information technology (IT) networks and multi-layered infrastructure systems with varying levels of access and connectivity to preserve their collaborative culture. Unfortunately, this open environment rendered IHEs worldwide cyber-attack targets in 2017, including WannaCry and Petya. These two ransomware outbreaks highlighted the need for more higher education cybersecurity planning, education, and training.

Ransomware attack on higher education

Cyberattacks are a continual threat to higher education institutions. Following an incident in 2015, Kevin Morooney, Penn State’s former Vice Provost for Information Technology, told The New York Times that the campus received an average of 20 million attacks every day, which he described as “normal for a research university.”

In a 2016 analysis, digital forensics and cybersecurity firm LIFARS claimed that Spear Phishing assaults – designed to enter an organization and steal critical information, often via email – cost firms $1.8 million each incident. Likewise, cybersecurity Ventures predicted in a 2017 analysis that ransomware attacks, which threaten to steal, block, or disclose a victim’s data unless a ransom is paid, would cost $5 billion in 2017, up from $325 million in 2015.

What Makes Higher Education Risky?

Cyber attackers exploit university systems that are, in some circumstances, embarrassingly obsolete and outmatched using cutting-edge technologies and approaches. While practically every major industry faces substantial cybersecurity threats, higher education is especially vulnerable for several reasons.

1. One has to do with academia’s distinct culture, which prides itself on a level of openness and transparency lacking in most industries. For example, in a 2013 University Business article, Fred Cate, director of the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, stated that colleges and universities have traditionally focused on ensuring that “our faculty, our students, our public, and our donors  connect pretty easily to us.” According to the report, this has made college and university computer networks “as accessible and inviting as their campuses.”
2. Another explanation is history, notably the length of time that schools and institutions have been online. Universities have always been prime targets for cyberattacks. According to Alex Heid, in a 2016 Education DIVEarticle, “universities were one of the first places that had internet access. With internet access, you have people trying to see how far that can go.” Colleges and universities have been visible targets for a long time because they have had internet connections, and cyber attackers are likely quite familiar with and understand their weaknesses.
3. Many institutions of higher learning still rely on legacy systems that are particularly vulnerable to attacks since colleges and universities were so early in embracing digital tools and interfaces (and as a result of budgetary and other practical issues). For example, Heid stated, “Many colleges use content written years ago in the article above.” As a result, cyber attackers exploit university systems that are hideously old and outmatched using cutting-edge technologies and approaches.
4. While not a higher education issue, the scarcity of cybersecurity talent is a key barrier that colleges and universities must overcome to address the issues described above. According to a recent survey by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, 1.8 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs will be by 2020. This talent gap is global, with nearly 70% of experts worldwide stating that too few cybersecurity workers are on staff. Companies frequently pay top cash for cybersecurity knowledge because demand for cybersecurity talent far outstrips supply.

We may now investigate how these vulnerabilities are exploited now that we understand the reasons for higher education’s cybersecurity problems.

How Attackers Exploit Vulnerabilities?

When it comes to cyberattacks, criminals employ a variety of tactics and technologies. Two of the most common methods are as follows. While this list is by no means comprehensive or limited to schools and institutions, it will assist you in better understanding how hackers attempt to exploit cybersecurity gaps and how to effectively avoid future assaults.

• Injections into SQL:

SQL Injections are the most serious problems web applications confront (SQLi). Attackers can bypass password safeguards by abusing the databases that underpin specific programs. The Standard Query Language (SQL) is a database management and communication language. SQL injections work by exploiting flaws in the code that underpins input pages like username and password login pages and causing a database to return sensitive data.

• Phishing:

Phishing attacks are emails or web pages designed to trick people into entering personal information like passwords or credit card numbers. In the last year, 30% of users in the education business fell for phishing schemes posing as corporate correspondence, which is twice the rate of the general population. Phishing attacks can have a variety of objectives, ranging from collecting user data to infecting a victim’s machine with ransomware and demanding payment. While these attacks may appear to be clear and simple to avoid, statistics reveal that phishing scams have affected most businesses.

How to Prevent Attacks: Better Code and Greater Vigilance

There are several techniques for fighting the cyberattacks mentioned above. Some strategies need higher education IT professionals to utilize them, while others require everyone in the higher education community, including end users, to use them.

SQLi attacks can be prevented by using Prepared Statements, Stored Procedures, and Input Validation. There has been a lot published about preventing SQL Injection attacks, and the consensus is that it isn’t that tough. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) offers a primer for avoiding SQL injection attacks. According to OWASP, there are three key techniques for doing so:

• Prepared Statements:

Colleges and universities should use prepared statements to build their underlying databases. “Prepared statements ensure that an attacker cannot alter the intent of a query, even if SQL commands are introduced by an attacker,” according to OWASP. In addition, prepared statements can effectively render SQL commands disguised as usernames and passwords useless.

• Stored Procedures:

According to OWASP, Stored procedures can have the same impact as prepared statements, except that “the SQL code for a stored procedure is defined and stored in the database itself, and then called from the application.” In addition, OWASP and others have noted that stored procedures may not always be suited for defense against SQLi attacks. Still, when written and deployed correctly, they can be a viable choice for schools and universities.

• Validation of input:

SQL injection attacks take advantage of programs and databases that do not cross-reference and validate the data they receive. As a reasonable first step in preventing these attacks, ensure that any built database requires input validation. Within its ASP.net web development approach, Microsoft also lists input validation as a crucial technique for mitigating SQLi attacks.

Preventing Phishing through Training and Heightened Suspicion

Unlike SQLi assaults, which internal technical improvements can prevent, phishing scams are generally preventable through end users — academics, staff, and students. Therefore, colleges and universities should take several efforts to guarantee that all end users remain vigilant:

• Filters for email:

Colleges and universities should set up email filters that send suspicious non-university communications to a user’s junk folder as a first, simple step. While not a failsafe solution, it is a vital first step in preventing fraudulent emails from reaching their intended recipients.

• Awareness and Training Campaigns:

End users should be required to go through training that includes phishing and how to spot it at colleges and universities. Companies are committed to offering this service, and higher education institutions must be willing to invest the time and resources required to educate their faculty and staff properly.

Though the tactics outlined above are not exhaustive and may not prevent every assault, they represent relatively easy procedures that can yield major benefits in the fight against potential cyber threats in higher education.

The Keys to a Secure Future

Understanding vulnerabilities, how common cyber attacks work, and how to prevent them is critical to making higher education more secure – and financially viable. However, cyber risks are continually developing, and there is no guarantee that the challenges we face today will be the same as those we face in the future.

Employing a strong, stable staff of cybersecurity professionals is another important to overcoming future cybersecurity concerns, as noted briefly in this article. Of course, this is easier said than done, given university funding constraints and talent scarcity. Nonetheless, there are a variety of solutions to this problem, including hiring professional freelancers and those ready to work remotely.

Though the cybersecurity issues that higher education faces are significant and the expense of addressing them is expensive, the financial and reputational penalties associated with inadequate defense are likely to be even worse. Nevertheless, effective cybersecurity solutions may pay for themselves in the long run for institutions throughout the higher education landscape.

Author bio:

Stacy Campbell is associated with Essay Help at MyAssignmenthelp.com. Stacy emphasizes providing high-end cheap economics assignment help precise to the needs of colleges and universities worldwide.