Universities worldwide are a growing target for hackers. A July 2020 report by cybersecurity company Redscan found more than 50% of UK universities recorded a data breach in the previous 12 months.
More recently, a data breach has affected 444,000 users of ProctorU. Universities, including several Australian ones, use this online tool to supervise students sitting exams from home. Personal records from ProctorU were made available on hacker forums.
The online-first approach universities are adopting during the COVID-19 pandemic further increases their digital footprint. This was done at very short notice. This meant risk analysis was different from the traditional processes, leading to additional cybersecurity risks.
