attacked by Chinese hackers this past August.
ation,” said NEIT’s Laflamme. “And by educat-
And according to Bloomberg News, Penn State
ing students about all aspects of security, like
University, which develops sensitive technol-
best practices involving passwords, anti-virus
ogy for the U.S. Navy, revealed that Chinese
software and data protection, we can collec-
It’s not simply a matter of making your institution secure for
hackers had been sifting through the comput-
tively become much more proactive to avoiding
zero day exploits, but putting the right program in place for
education and preventative measures going forward. The
ers of its engineering school for more than two
threats and reactive to eliminating them when
years before the breach was discovered.
necessary.”
goal is not only to create policies but also to educate.
Educating the Masses to Protect the
Institution
Jacques Laflamme
Chief Information Officer with the New England Institute
of Technology (NEIT)
So how does an American academic institution manage to secure their intellectual assets when they are expected to be bastions of
unfettered collaboration? Unlike corporations
Striking a Balance to Protect Innovation
As cited by the Privacy Rights Clearing House,
(PII) and information from our student learning
which dictate what employees can and cannot
system,” said NEIT’s Laflamme.
do, the relationship between students and their
between January 2005 and August 2015 edu-
Colleges and universities are also attractive
cational institutions were hacked 751 times.
targets for hackers both domestically and
This number could be viewed as low consider-
overseas because of the valuable studies those
ing the open environments in which they oper-
institutions are conducting. Many U.S. schools
ate, with high numbers of unmanaged student
are home to sophisticated research programs in
devices and proliferation of less intrusive
science and engineering and serve as an incu-
home institution differs greatly when it comes
to access. And relying on an impenetrable
shield placed around data, the approach relied
upon by private enterprise, is not an option on
college campuses for thwarting determined
hackers.
endpoint controls. In fact, experts say more
bator for new or emerging technologies and
One proactive approach to cybersecurity that
than 30 percent of cyber attackers infiltrate
innovation. There are thousands of academic
is gaining attention is the concept of preven-
networks through a computer that belongs to
grants being given to higher education depart-
tion, detection and response. This strategy
a registered student or university employee .
ments to produce new products, drugs and
involves closely monitoring the behavior of the
Coupled with the decentralized structure of
medical device-research materials which are
network rather than trying to build a perimeter
many institutions, these unique challenges
highly sought after in foreign markets.
to keep attackers away. Adding additional con-
present a formidable challenge when it comes
to managing security and compliance on campus.
Of course, sec W&