Why Web Security is Important in Education Sector

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Why Web Security is Important in Education
Sector
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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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Know more _at_ https//esds.co.in/security/vtmscan
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Concluding Remarks
Like any other industry, the education industry
has also been under the cybersecurity scanner for
years now. Whats 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 _at_
relationship_at_esds.co.in