Education institutions, including universities and schools, possess a wealth of sensitive data. The personal information of staff members, faculty, and students makes this sector a hotspot for cybercriminals. A lack of robust cybersecurity measures further increases the vulnerability.
There is a misconception that malicious actors do not attack the educational sector. This has led to a loophole in the security infrastructure of these establishments. In the past few years, several schools and universities have fallen prey to cyber incidents. The most common ones include data breaches and phishing attacks.
You can also not ignore the risk of insider threats when working in these institutions. Do you want to learn more? Keep reading the article, as it will explain the critical cybersecurity threats in education sectors you must know.
Top 5 Cybersecurity Threats in the Education System
There has been a surge in cyber incident reports in the educational sector. Cybercriminals have wreaked havoc on schools, colleges, and universities. Ransomware attacks have particularly increased in educational institutions. Experts say using weak credentials is one of the prime reasons why these organizations are susceptible to such threats. Let’s focus on the top five cybersecurity threats in the education system:
Data Breaches
The educational sectors are highly dynamic establishments. They are home to millions of individuals, comprising staff members, scholars, and faculties. This means that they possess an extensive volume of data. This is where such sectors become favorite targets for malicious actors.
You need to watch out for potential data breaches that might damage your institution’s reputation and endanger your employees and students. Any incident can result in the loss of personal information, addresses, credentials, account numbers, and social security numbers.
This can increase the risk of identity theft and other unwanted circumstances. You should adopt several preventive measures to prevent such dire consequences. It is critical to seek help from cybersecurity experts, leveraging their expertise and skills. Educational organizations opt for managed security services UAE-based companies to achieve the milestone.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing attack refers to a fraudulent activity, where cybercriminals disguise themselves as a trusted individual. They usually send malicious messages or emails to an employee, faculty member, or student. The affected person does not know these messages or emails are from a cyberattacker.
Another way malicious actor can exploit the unawareness of these individuals is by creating a sense of urgency. These factors compel them to open the infected mail and click the link given in the message. This link lands them into a pretend website that looks like a real one.
As a result, that person ends up unknowingly providing their personal information and credentials to the cybercriminal. In the education sector, these scams usually target critical research data, students’ information, or details of faculty members. Increasing security awareness can decrease the risk of phishing attacks.
Insider Threat
Insider threat has proven to be the most dangerous form of cyber incidents in educational institutions and other businesses. These cybersecurity dangers come from within an organization. An ex-student or employee with a sinister agenda can trigger such incidents.
Such people can cause significant destruction to the financial and reputational health of a school, college, or university. With their extensive knowledge of the security infrastructure and access to the system, they pose a greater risk than outsiders.
Your organization’s intellectual property, research data, and sensitive information are always at stake due to these malicious actors. You must take various steps to prevent insider threats. This includes implementing a least privilege policy and vigilantly identifying any suspicious employee or student.
Weak Credentials
In schools, colleges, and universities, there are a number of platforms where students and faculty members have to log in. Not everyone can come up with and remember complex passwords. Most of these individuals are habitual in using simple credentials, which are easy to guess by cybercriminals. These weak credentials can cause the following issues:
· Unauthorize access
· Increased risk of identity theft
· Enhanced incidents of data breaches
· Fraudulent transactions
These are only a few of many unwanted circumstances of using weak credentials. Make your students and staff aware of the importance of using complex passwords to avoid such issues.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware attacks are among the fastest-growing cybersecurity threats in the educational sector. A report shows that more than one million ransomware attacks occur every day. These incidents can also affect an educational organization, resulting in the following consequences:
· Hijacked computer networks
· Potential data breaches
· Substantial monetary losses
· Loss of the organization’s image
· Long-term operational disruptions
To cause the above damages, a cybercriminal leverages malicious software to hijack your sensitive data. Seeking help from an expert can decrease the risk of such incidents. You can contact managed security services in UAE to protect your organization from ransomware attacks.
Conclusion
The educational institutions are not immune to cybersecurity attacks. Ransomware attacks, data breaches, and insider threats are common in these sectors. Seeking help from a reputed cybersecurity company can help in this regard.