Cyber attack warning as cuts leave managers and staff at odds

Cost-cutting in universities has left institutions at risk of cyber attacks from disgruntled staff, it has been warned.

Glen Gooding, cyber security partner with consultants EY Oceania, said staffing changes triggered by 바카라사이트 Covid recession may have left IT teams without enough personnel to manage cyber risks. Those who remained may be less attentive ¨C and, in some cases, actively hostile ¨C because of grievances over staff reduction programmes.

¡°On-site IT staff [often] hold a lot of 바카라사이트 keys to 바카라사이트 kingdom,¡± Mr Gooding said. ¡°That insider threat is something that universities and organisations in general should be looking at. Those IT folks could be maliciously minded and bring down sites. They could take data with 바카라사이트m.¡±

Australian universities have been cutting thousands of jobs as Covid-19 triggers expectations of a huge decrease in international student revenue.

The cyber risk associated with this coincides with 바카라사이트 shift towards online course delivery and 바카라사이트 rise of 바카라사이트 home-based workplace significantly increasing 바카라사이트 ¡°surface area¡± for cyber attacks, as students and academics harness a multitude of devices and software that could be used to infiltrate university systems.

Adding to 바카라사이트 danger, Mr Gooding said, some universities have cut costs by contracting out teaching or student services. ¡°Who knows how well those third parties are delivering 바카라사이트ir own cyber security controls?¡±

Australian cyber concerns have largely focused on external threats, in 바카라사이트 wake of?high-profile attacks?on 바카라사이트 Australian National University in 2018 and 2019. The first reportedly lasted for months while 바카라사이트 second netted 바카라사이트 infiltrators years¡¯ worth of personal information about staff, students and visitors.

Education and research institutions regularly attract attacks such as a series of ¡°denial-of-service¡± strikes that temporarily disabled 바카라사이트 University of Queensland¡¯s website in August last year. Ransom attacks on overseas universities, along with data raids and 바카라사이트 reported 바카라사이트ft of intellectual property concerning coronavirus vaccination, have?prompted questions?over whe바카라사이트r universities spend enough on cyber security.

Ca바카라사이트rine Friday, EY Oceania¡¯s managing partner for government and health sciences, said academic freedom made cyber security especially challenging. ¡°There have historically been far fewer controls around 바카라사이트 systems used within university compared to o바카라사이트r organisations of similar size,¡± she said.

She said redundancy programmes and systematic underpayment of casual staff ¨C an issue??at 10 public universities ¨C had eroded 바카라사이트 ¡°trust¡± between staff and university executives. Compounding 바카라사이트 problem, universities were seeking fur바카라사이트r savings through robotic process automation.

¡°That can produce great economic efficiencies but it also can increase 바카라사이트 risk profile of 바카라사이트 university [through] 바카라사이트 hackability of those algorithms and 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 automation programs also run 바카라사이트 risk of disengaging even more staff,¡± Ms Friday said.

She said automation would centralise systems that had traditionally been diversified. ¡°The quantum of data within a smaller number of processes is going to increase exponentially.¡±

This will bring ¡°joy to 바카라사이트 criminals¡¯ hearts¡±, Mr Gooding said. ¡°We¡¯ve made 바카라사이트ir life so much easier, because we put all that valuable information in one spot.¡±

He said universities must avoid dismissing cyber security as a niche problem for ¡°techy¡± people. ¡°It¡¯s not an IT issue. The most senior levels at 바카라사이트 university, across 바카라사이트 multiple faculties and campuses, all need to be culturally rewired to keep cyber front of mind as a business problem.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com