Key points:
- Cybersecurity concerns are growing amid increasingly sophisticated attacks
- How higher ed can stay ahead of growing cyber threats
- In ransomware attacks, expect to lose 43 percent of affected data
- For more news on cybersecurity, visit eCN’s Digital Innovation hub
As learning becomes more connected, a new report details emerging cybersecurity challenges and outlines how higher-ed IT leaders strive to maintain privacy and keep institutions and students safe.
“In this year’s report, we see some concerning continuing/emerging trends that have the potential to significantly impact students and their higher education experience. Cyberattacks targeting students are on the rise, with Gen-Z becoming more vulnerable than older adults, and students are becoming increasingly concerned about their privacy,” said Nicole Nuscanell, a researcher at EDUCAUSE. “To protect students from financial, emotional, and academic risks, institutions must enhance security and privacy measures while also finding ways to empower students to protect their own privacy.”
The 2024 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report–Cybersecurity and Privacy Edition, based on input and insight from global panel of leaders from across the higher education landscape, details influential trends poised to shape the future of cybersecurity and privacy, organized across five categories.
Social:
- Privacy concerns are growing
- Cyberattacks that have physical-world consequences are on the rise
- Cyberattacks targeting students are increasing
Technological:
- Cybersecurity and privacy risks and threats are growing
- Cyberattacks are increasingly sophisticated
- Technology is constantly and rapidly changing
Economic:
- Institutions continue to face financial constraints
- Gaps in the workforce continue to impact institutions
- AI is increasingly transforming how people work
Environmental:
- Institutions continue to integrate sustainable technologies
- Pressure is growing for institutions to be sustainable
- Concerns over the environmental impact of AI are increasing
Political:
- The state and federal regulatory landscapes continue to change
- Politically-motivated attacks are on the rise
- Politics is influencing higher education programs and curricula
The report also delves into six key technologies and practices set to have a significant impact on cybersecurity and privacy. Alongside these technologies are examples of higher-ed projects that demonstrate the impact of the technologies and practices.
1. AI governance: As more institutions adopt AI-powered tools for learning and work, AI governance will be vital for protecting institutions and individuals. Unless AI governance is in place before new tools are adopted, institutions risk exposing themselves to cybersecurity threats.
2. Supporting agency, trust, transparency, and involvement: By supporting agency, trust, transparency, and involvement, cybersecurity professionals can go beyond the minimal requirement to give users an opportunity to opt out. Ultimately, practices that center end users’ attitudes and needs foster a positive relationship between users and technology, reduce resistance to change, and improve the safety and success of adoption.
3. Focusing on data security rather than the perimeter: Though protecting an institution’s perimeter is still important, focusing on an ill-defined or shifting perimeter opens an institution to a false sense of security. Regardless of where or how an institution’s data are stored, they must be protected.
4. AI-enabled workforce expansion: The recent explosion in generative AI technologies has already impacted or will soon impact a significant portion of the workforce, especially in the global north. Higher education cybersecurity and privacy professions are no exception to this revolution, and panelists posit that AI will actually enable workforce expansion in their fields.
5. Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs): PETs help organizations use data to make decisions or offer services while improving privacy compliance, ethics, and trust with stakeholders. PETs often use data collection and processing practices to anonymize or limit exposure of personally identifiable information by design.
6. AI-supported cybersecurity training: Across higher education units, from teaching and learning to business operations, stakeholders are seeing more and more opportunities to leverage AI to create personalized learning experiences. AI-supported cybersecurity training may enable the creation of more focused, role-specific cybersecurity training for users in higher education.
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