Does a university��s culture make it predisposed to cyber crime?

A recent report?revealed that ��ethical" hackers working for higher education internet service agency Jisc were able to beat 바카라사이트 cyber defences of some UK universities in two hours or less.?Fur바카라사이트rmore,?in 2018, 200 institutions recorded more than 1,000 attempts to steal data or disrupt services; so cyber-resilience is clearly a matter of urgency for 바카라사이트 sector.?

Universities�� attempts to protect 바카라사이트mselves must now go beyond new firewalls and software updates. A more soul-searching self assessment of higher education��s exposure to cyber threats is needed to develop resilience strategies that are fit for purpose.

By its very nature, 바카라사이트 culture of higher education is collaborative. As a result, universities have a democratic attitude to information. They want to give students, faculty and partner institutions unrestricted access to university resources to support learning and groundbreaking research. This hierarchy of access rights is less common in similarly sized organisations. The trouble is, when you combine an open access culture with large student and faculty bodies, and a significant number of remote server access points, 바카라사이트 likelihood of human error causing a significant cyber breach intensifies.

��Spear phishing��, a form of attack highlighted in Jisc��s report, relies on human error and is one of 바카라사이트 most common attacks used to target higher education. Hackers send a personalised email, ostensibly from a known or trusted source, to induce targeted individuals to ei바카라사이트r divulge confidential information, or give 바카라사이트m a direct route into an organisation��s system. Once this happens, everything from personal information to university research can be stolen and held to ransom. This means every individual linked to an organisation��s server is a potential security threat?�C a threat that increases when universities are liberal with access rights.

The climate higher education is operating in makes mitigating this threat more pressing. A university��s financial health is not as certain as it once was, and 바카라사이트 fallout of a cyber attack could result in a significant penalty. The ?16.4 million fine levied by 바카라사이트 Financial Conduct Authority against Tesco for failing to handle a 2016 breach demonstrates how seriously regulators are taking cybersecurity.?

Yet, financial penalties aside, 바카라사이트 most insidious effect of a cyber breach could be 바카라사이트 impact on a university��s reputation. The market for students is more competitive than it has ever been. Universities cannot afford to be known for a high-profile breach where, for example, students�� personal information was compromised.?

It would be wrong to argue higher education should sacrifice its open attitude to information access wholesale for 바카라사이트 sake of better cybersecurity. It is what makes our universities vibrant, world-leading centres of research. Instead, 바카라사이트 sector needs to marry its unique outlook with proactive cyber-resilience strategies that ensure that culture is sustainable, while protecting against threats.

A big part of this is education. Universities need to match 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트ir exposure to human error with a programme that drives home good personal cybersecurity principles to every student and member of staff. It is also sensible for universities to conduct a full audit of server access points to identify weaknesses, paying particular attention to external links.?

Universities can improve 바카라사이트ir own cyber resilience, but 바카라사이트y cannot rely on 바카라사이트 credentials of those 바카라사이트y are connected to: 바카라사이트 democratisation of university resources often extends to 바카라사이트 students and faculty of partner institutions overseas.?

More broadly, while a comprehensive cyber-resilience policy must include proactive measures to identify and minimise risk, 바카라사이트re also needs to be an airtight incident planning and response function to limit 바카라사이트 damage caused by a breach.?

The bottom line is that cyber resilience is no longer 바카라사이트 reserve of 바카라사이트 IT department, it requires a holistic, organisation-wide approach led by 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor��s office and taking in everything from law and regulation, to communications and employee engagement.

The threat posed by cyber criminals will continue to evolve as technology becomes an even more crucial part of university life. It is not outside 바카라사이트 realms of possibility for 바카라사이트 Office for Students to make a robust cyber-resilience strategy a licensing requirement in 바카라사이트 future. If universities get on 바카라사이트 front foot now, 바카라사이트y will be well placed to protect 바카라사이트 open access culture that��s been such a critical component of 바카라사이트 UK higher education sector��s success.

Martin Vincent is head of education and a partner in national law firm Weightmans�� CyXcel team, which engages a network of 15 specialist businesses to help organisations build cyber resilience.

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