Education
colleges need to allow this to happen and can’t make resources too difficult to access.
Transient population Te user population is also quite fluid and transient. Students come and go all the time. Some will be on short courses or just visiting as guests. It is easier for criminals to use social engineering to access and to go unnoticed amongst the massive number of intermittent log-ins. All this makes educational institutions more vulnerable and easier
to target. But at all levels of the education system, budgets can be quite limited. Consequently, they must take a balanced, intelligent and pragmatic approach to cybersecurity, and for schools and colleges, good protection starts with the network. With a robust, multi-layered security solution at the gateway and active monitoring of traffic and activity, schools and colleges have every chance of fending off any nefarious activity or attempt to hack into their systems before it causes serious problems.
What are the biggest security threats to schools? Te threats to schools are subtly different to those faced by commercial or government organisations. While they are oſten targeted with ransomware, data theſt and the exposure of confidential or sensitive information about students or staff is a huge worry. Tey can be maliciously targeted by disgruntled current or former students, who oſten have excellent digital skills. Students have also been known to break into school networks to gain access to exam papers in advance. Interestingly, the government Cybersecurity breaches survey,
identified phishing and impersonation as two of the most common forms of attack in education. Almost all (97%) or FE and HE institutions were subjected to phishing, and 89% of primary and secondary schools were also attacked. Impersonation was seen by 68% in HE/FE, 50% of secondaries, and 32% of primary schools. Tis suggests that in addition to multi-layered protection, schools
need to apply effective security policies and carefully monitor and manage their networks.
What kind of protection do schools really need? Realistically, most schools need the following measures in place to ensure that they are fully safeguarded. • Anti-malware – the essential first line of defence in any multi- layered security posture.
• Intrusion prevention – to provide an immediate block against malicious activities and unauthorised access attempts.
• Stateful packet inspection – schools and colleges need to monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic and apply appropriate controls on what – and who – is allowed to cross the threshold.
• Web filtering – it’s vitally important that schools can block access to malicious or inappropriate websites and content. Most institutions will want to apply quite strict rules to prevent children doing anything else but accessing learning resources and conducting legitimate research.
• Application control and monitoring – schools will want to make sure they prevent the user of certain applications and services, such as games, video streaming, and social media.
• Secure remote access – if students can log-in using a VPN, data will be encrypted and protected during its transit across the Internet.
www.pcr-online.biz Together, these capabilities reduce exposure to malware, phishing,
ransomware, and other common threats targeting educational institutions. And it need not cost the earth to have them all in place and kept up to date at the entry point to the network. Zyxel Networks’ entry-level USG FLEX 50H/50HP firewall appliances, for example, are eminently affordable and come with excellent all-round performance and all the security features listed above. As well fast throughput that can cope with the higher bandwidth
demands that are now typical in education, with the Power over Ethernet (PoE) version of the firewall, schools can easily deploy connected devices such as WiFi access points and IP security cameras wherever they are needed. While the USG FLEX 50H/50HP only has five ports, it comes with a complete set of security features and there are plenty of other models in the range if additional ports are required. Tese compact devices also come with a five-year hardware warranty, giving schools the assurance of a solid return on investment.
Managed security services Tese measures will massively reduce the chances of a school or college being seriously impacted. However, as we’ve already noted, social engineering, phishing and impersonation are big problems in education and if someone with malicious intent obtains valid log-in credentials, they will be able to get inside the network and potentially wreak havoc. Tis is why we believe that constant monitoring and management
of networks is advisable in the education sector. Schools, colleges and trusts can do this themselves, but it is usually best to make use of a specialist provider of managed services. Zyxel Networks partners can offer such a service through our Nebula cloud platform, the basic version of which is available with all our firewall appliances, including the USG FLEX H50/50HP. With Nebula, the managed services provider can set up thresholds
and alerts, manage security policies, and watch over the network remotely. Tey can respond to any unusual activity and adjust settings as required. Tey can also use tools like SecuReporter, which generates traffic summaries and threat reports and statistics. Tis makes it easier to spot patterns, such as repeated intrusion attempts.
Protection, visibility, and control Providing a managed network and security service is an excellent way for partners to add value and differentiate from competitors. With Nebula, partners can also configure new network devices in advance for fast, easy, auto-installation. Users simply plug-in the device and the configuration will take place automatically. Tis is especially useful when a school needs consistency across multiple campus sites or locations. All Nebula devices are also linked to our global security network
and, along with our firewalls, will be kept updated with protection from new threats. By making use of the multi-layered security features provided on a
unified security gateway like a USG FLEX H Series firewall and using the services of a specialist MSPs, schools and colleges can massively reduce their exposure to cybersecurity attacks. Tey can have the protection, visibility, control that make it possible to operate safe, modern networks that allow students and staff to make optimum use of learning resources.
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