Jamieson Lee Hill, February 25th, 2024

With the growing digitalisation of education, data security has become a whopping concern for educational institutions. Schools, colleges and universities are increasingly targeted by cyber-attacks, posing significant challenges to the sector. This digital transition has exposed schools, colleges, and universities to a whole range of cybersecurity threats. Let’s find out what the challenges are and how IP House protects its educational clients…

Unique Challenges Faced by Educational Institutions

The UK government survey in 2023 on cybersecurity breaches revealed the full extent of cyberattacks on educational institutions. Further Education colleges and Higher Education institutions led the stats with 82% and 85% respectively. The sector needs to embrace the importance of defending their data against cybercriminals in the light of increased attacks. 

Source: Official Statistics: Cyber security breaches survey 2023: education institutions annex

Educational organisations need an open and collaborative environment which  inevitably means that there is a diverse user base with varying levels of tech-savviness. With financial constraints, technical resource limitations and a diversity of users, educational institutions have become a sitting target for cybercriminals.  Colocation America points out that, 

"Data for educational institutions is highly critical yet not many of them considered data security as one of their top priorities."

The vulnerability of these institutions is increased by this lack of data security protection. 

Notable Cyber Attacks on Educational Institutions

In June 2023 the University of Manchester was hit by a data breach with hackers sending emails threatening to disclose the personal information of students and staff if a ransom was not paid. There has been a recent surge in cyber-attacks against educational institutions in the UK and it shows the seriousness of these challenges. 

The attacks tend to range from ransomware and malware that can paralyse entire networks, to DDoS attacks designed to overwhelm systems, insider threats that exploit weak internal controls, and phishing scams that trick individuals into revealing sensitive information. These cyberattacks disrupt academic activities and compromise the data and privacy of millions of students and faculty members.

In the same month in 2023, Info Security Magazine published an article saying the UK education sector is a top target for cyberattacks,

“The UK’s education/research sector is the top target for ransomware actors with 3809 weekly attacks per organization in the past 6 months, according to Check Point figures seen by Infosecurity.”

Source: Info Security Magazine, June 23, 2023

IP House Protecting Data For the Education Sector

With the severity of the threat to the education sector considerable, IP House is able to offer advanced security measures and compliance features that can protect sensitive student and faculty data. IP House provides a secure environment for storing and managing data, mitigating the risk of cyber-attacks and ensuring compliance with the strict data protection regulations. The centre plays a critical role in safeguarding the vast amount of data generated by the education sector.

Physical and Network Security Measures in Colocation Centres

As well as data protection technology, IP House has strict physical security measures, including 24 hour CCTV, biometric access controls, and fire suppression systems. These measures ensure that data is protected from both cyber and physical threats. On the network front, we offer robust security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and DDoS protection to shield data from online threats. 

Reflections

The technological advances in the education sector have brought with them significant data security problems. Unfortunately, for a long time the cybersecurity for protecting data has not been a priority for educational institutions due to limited budgets and a lack of technical resources. However, in the light of recent attacks in 2023, educational organisations across the globe are recognising that having proper cybersecurity measures in place is paramount.

IP House is perfectly positioned to continue protecting the education sector against the rise in cyberattacks. The advanced security measures of IP House mean that our educational clients can sleep soundly at night knowing that their data is safely guarded. Colocation is the way…

Talk to IP House about how Colocation Services can secrure your educational organisation from cyberattacks.

Sources:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2023/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2023-education-institutions-annex

https://www.colocationamerica.com/blog/data-security-for-educational-institutions

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-65973785

https://www.checkpoint.com/

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/manchester-university-victims/#:~:text=As%20reported%20by%20Infosecurity%2C%20the,first%20discovered%20three%20days%20earlier.