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.
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.
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.
Students attend university to learn, faculty is there to teach, and staff is there to support—and all of these groups are vulnerable to phishing and social engineering. Cybercriminals are masters of deception and will try to impersonate school officials or IT staff in hopes of stealing credentials and spreading malware. They exploit human emotion and trust to get clicks and grab credentials.
Also consider: Intellectual property and research theft
Students and faculty spend years researching the next big thing. Intellectual property and research are valuable, and hackers would love not just to take a slice of potential profits—they want the whole pie.
Legacy systems and budget constraints: Outdated IT infrastructure lacks modern security features but remains in use due to funding limitations.
Compliance and privacy regulations: Universities must meet standards like FERPA, HIPAA, and GDPR, which make data breaches a security and legal nightmare.
Due to your unique environment, a strong university cybersecurity strategy should include a mix of different services and solutions.
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.
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.
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
Secure endpoints, email, employees, and students with the power of our 24/7 SOC. Try Huntress for free and deploy in minutes to start fighting threats.
