With thousands of students, faculty, and staff logging in daily, often on unsecured personal devices, university and higher education information security is a real concern.
In this guide, we’ll dig into why universities are targeted by cybercriminals, their unique cybersecurity challenges, and their options for keeping students, faculty, and staff safe online.
Why Cybercriminals Target Universities
Like many criminals, hackers always look for the path to the least resistance, i.e., an easy payday. Universities are viewed as gold mines due to these vulnerabilities:
Threat actors are attracted to high-value research in subjects like healthcare, engineering, and technology—including rogue hackers to state-sponsored criminals.
Universities have massive databases of student and faculty records. Everything from Social Security numbers to financial data and medical history are at risk.
Universities' open networks, known for their accessibility and lack of airtight security, provide cybercriminals with multiple entry points.
Unique Challenges in Cybersecurity for Universities
After understanding the why, let’s examine how cybercriminals can waltz into a university without an acceptance letter.
Universities use open networks, and thousands of users connect to their networks daily on personal devices. This creates a broad attack surface and plenty of cover for hackers to go unnoticed. Paired with common BYOD (bring your own device) policies for students and faculty, this provides threat actors with a buffet of entry points.
Also consider: Insider threats and human error
From weak passwords and unsecured devices to negligent or malicious intent, accidental data exposure is a massive concern for universities.
Cybersecurity Solutions and Services for Universities
Due to your unique environment, a strong university cybersecurity strategy should include a mix of different services and solutions.
University cybersecurity services
Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): 24/7 monitoring of devices to detect and neutralize cyber attacks before they cause damage.
Cybersecurity awareness training: Educating students, faculty, and staff on recognizing phishing and other potential threats is key.
Incident response and recovery: Having standard procedures in place if a breach occurs can significantly impact minimizing damage and restoring systems.
Dark web monitoring: Tracking leaked information and data on the dark web helps prevent further exploitation.
University cybersecurity solutions
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Leveraging MFA is necessary to keep unauthorized users from accessing critical systems.
Zero trust security models: Verifying before trusting is how access should work—not the other way around.
Network segmentation: Blocking off access amongst departments combats widespread breaches and infectious malware.
How Huntress can help with Higher Education Information Security
Ready to take campus security to the next level? You need a partner who is as dedicated to your security as you are to your students and staff.
That’s where Huntress comes in.
Our Managed Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) monitors your network 24/7, detecting and neutralizing threats before they can cause chaos. With our dedicated Security Operations Center (SOC), cybercriminals don’t stand a chance. If we detect something suspicious, we investigate, contain, and eliminate the threat—guiding you through cleanup and recovery.
Want to take your defenses up a notch? Our Security Awareness Training arms students, faculty, and staff with the knowledge to identify and report cyber threats. The more eyes on the lookout, the fewer chances attackers have to slip through the cracks.
Universities should be places of learning, not cybercrime statistics. With Huntress in your corner, you can focus on education while we handle security
Ready to learn more?
See Huntress in action. Our platform combines a suite of powerful managed detection and response tools for endpoints and Microsoft 365 identities, science-backed security awareness training, Managed SIEM, and the expertise of our 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC).
Schedule a demo to explore the Huntress dashboard and platform and learn about core services, features, and incident reports.
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