Why Web Security is Important in Education Sector

1. Why Web Security is Important in Education Sector

2. Introduction • Today, there is no single industry that is completely secured against cyberattacks. The cybercriminals in the past and even today have been trying to penetrate into the networks of the education industry using malicious practices. • The education sector has been witnessing the number of students rising every year, resulting in more connected devices. • This increased number of connected devices has exposed education to a large number of vulnerable cyber threats. Like any other sector, the education sector has also important data assets that need to be properly secured.

3. How Educational Institutes are Targeted • Phishing Scams: In a phishing scam, an email is designed to fool the user to fall into the baits of virtually-created and trusted websites for gaining access credentials. A common method used to target this sector • Ransomware and Malware: Here, the attackers hold user files for ransom. Ransomware and malware are injected into the systems of the educational institutes by a legitimate-looking file or an attachment

4. Which Data is At Risk? • The financial information about the students and staff present in the educational institute • Educational institutes have information about their stakeholders including- students, teaching staff along with other crucial information needed for smoother operations • The educational data comprising of research work, lecture schedules along with the grading system for evaluations and assessments.

5. Challenges Faced • Lack of Centralized IT System In an educational institute, there is no centralized IT system. There are department-level local networks based on individual requirements. A decentralized IT architecture makes it difficult to implement the same security policies pan organization • Rise of BYOD Culture The BYOD culture allows the students to carry their own devices for storing data rather than going for a central repository. Students don't have anti-malware software installed on them, leading to students opting for a pirated version of the needed software. • Internal Threats Sometimes, the login credentials of a faculty, admin staff or students can be compromised by an insider resulting in loss of sensitive information

6. Overcoming Challenges • Once the threats and their channels have been identified, the following countermeasures can be deployed for safeguarding their crucial information • identifying the top assets in the organization • creating a detailed analysis of potential risks and vulnerabilities • implementing a strong access control system based on the student's authentication role for preventing unauthorized access on the network • creating strict cybersecurity policies and enhancing the levels of awareness

7. How VTMScan Helps ESDS VTMScan is a 1-click vulnerability, threat and malware scanner for the user websites and web applications It checks for vulnerabilities like- OWASP Top-10 Vulnerabilities, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), LFI-RFI Detection, etc. Performs open port scanning for security threats & checks Mail Server IP Provides a detailed report to the user regarding the vulnerabilities present on his website and web applications

8. Know more @ https://esds.co.in/security/vtmscan

9. Concluding Remarks Like any other industry, the education industry has also been under the cybersecurity scanner for years now. What’s important for this industry is that they provide a centralized system across their infrastructure and provide authentication-based role access to the actors (users) present in the network. VISIT ESDS @ relationship@esds.co.in