Education sector data breaches skyrocket

You only have to look at the headlines to see that the education sector is under attack. One in five schools and colleges have fallen victim to cyber-crime, according to research from specialist insurer Ecclesiastical. Of those affected, 71% downloaded malware and 50% experienced phishing attacks.

• “7 in 10 Attempted Data Breaches on Education Are Financially Motivated”. This year’s report looked at more than 53,000 incidents and 2,300 data breaches from 5 countries.
• “Human error to blame in vast majority of education data breaches”.
• “Education Sector Data Breaches Skyrocket in 2017. With breaches up 103 percent, universities will continue to rely on technology and user practices to keep data safe from hackers.”

 Risk assessment – Is your institution data breach safe?

• What risks are you taking with data protection and cyber security?
• Have you or do you regularly assess all your assets such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones and memory sticks?
• Do you know what data you have and where it is?

There are several ways to reduce the likelihood and severity of data breaches. Although updating policies and procedures is crucial, the reality is you need to conduct regular risk assessments and map your data.

Three solutions to beat the cyber attackers

Vigilant Software has developed three solutions to align with your institution’s requirements and budget.

Suitable for institutions of all sizes, vsRisk is a leading information security risk assessment tool that delivers fast, accurate, auditable and hassle-free risk assessments year after year. Fully aligned with ISO 27001, it significantly cuts the consultancy costs typically associated with information security risk assessments.

You need to protect your organisation from the financial penalties and losses associated with data breaches. The Data Flow Mapping Tool simplifies the process of creating data flow maps, giving you a thorough understanding of the personal data your organisation processes and why, where it is held and how it is transferred.

Avoid spending significant time and money researching relevant laws and regulations for your business by having access to Compliance Manager. Compliance Manager makes it easy to identify your legal and regulatory information security requirements.

Find out more about protecting your institution from a data breach

View our short introductory videos: vsRisk, Data Flow Mapping Tool and Compliance Manager.

To request a demo of vsRisk and the Data Flow Mapping Tool, please click here

 

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Vigilant Software Blog authored by Nicholas King. Read the original post at: https://www.vigilantsoftware.co.uk/blog/education-sector-data-breaches-skyrocket/