The Cyber Defense eMagazine January Edition for 2024

• Abundance of sensitive information: The size of higher education institutions makes them
prime targets for hackers looking to cash in on stealing and selling sensitive data. Student and
employee Social Security numbers, bank accounts and other private information motivate bad
actors to infiltrate systems using various attack patterns.
• Valuable research data: Many universities pride themselves in having the best and most brilliant
minds working on valuable research projects and groundbreaking technologies. Cybercriminals
look for opportunities wherever possible. They know intellectual property can be worth millions if
sold to the highest bidder.
• Lack of cyber preparedness: Many higher-ed institutions prioritize improving facilities and
education standards over other factors like cybersecurity. Organizations’ complacency and
feelings of false security make them prime targets for bad actors.
How Vulnerable Are Universities and Colleges to Data Breaches?
In 2023, the University of Michigan had to shut down systems and IT services after a cybersecurity
incident occurred just before the start of a new academic year. The university has over 30,000 faculty
and administrative staff and 51,000 students. Some common cyberthreats plaguing higher-ed institutions
are SQL injections, phishing and ransomware attacks.
Cybercriminals are scaling their attacks to expose vulnerabilities in higher-ed institutions. They won’t stop
there. Here are several reasons why schools are more vulnerable to cyberattacks:
• Lack of funding: Many colleges and universities fail to prepare for imminent attacks due to a lack
of funding for critical cybersecurity systems. As a result, these institutions are forced to pay steep
ransoms that only encourage hackers to launch more attacks in the future.
• Outdated systems: Higher-ed institutions prioritize large-scale adoption without proper
preparation for associated risks as online learning becomes more prevalent. Many universities
still use old and outdated systems that are more vulnerable to high-tech cyberthreats.
• Cybersecurity labor shortage: According to a 2022 study, over 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity
roles exist in the U.S. alone. The lack of qualified professionals headlining cybersecurity
departments in higher-ed institutions leads to more vulnerabilities due to lax security standards.
Strategies to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Higher Education
In the U.K., 92% of higher education institutions were affected by cybersecurity compromises in 2022 —
significantly higher than the 39% average rate for all businesses. While attacks keep mounting, only 13%
of global industries will protect their data in 2023. It’s time to start proactively changing cybersecurity
awareness by adopting a security mindset.
Here’s how universities and colleges can adopt a cybersecurity stance and bolster their defenses against
bad actors.
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