BBC reports that malicious hacking attempts have affected multiple universities in the U.K. The hack was a distributed denial-of service attack that targeted an academic network shared between several schools. It has prevented students from turning in their homework. A DDoS attack floods a network, blocking it and making it unusable.
These types of attacks are not designed to steal information, but they can be used as distractions. A hacker can initiate a DDoS attack and, while the institution is trying to get back online, the malicious actor will try and exploit security holes in the network. It is unclear if this latest attack was a prank or a cover, but universities are some of the most hackable institutions.
This is not a problem that is limited to the U.K.
Hacking attacks on universities aren’t something that happens only in Europe or the U.K. Harvard was the victim of a malicious hack in the summer 2015. Although Harvard claimed that no student data was compromised, including banking information and Social Security numbers, the university did mention that there was a possibility that login credentials to university accounts could have been stolen.
This is a problem that is far more widespread than people realize. Symantec’s 2015 Internet Security Threat Report found that universities are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to the report, education is third in most vulnerable to cyberattacks after retail and health care.
This is why universities around the world need to invest more in cybersecurity. Harvard was able to keep the student’s data confidential, but this is too much information to be at risk with a weak cybersecurity system. Cybercriminals can easily access highly classified and sensitive research information at universities. It is dangerous to allow this data to be lost.
Cybersecurity training is best done by computer.
Universities, like all other sectors, are in dire need for individuals with cybersecurity skills. Hackers are highly skilled individuals, despite their evil intentions. Universities and the rest of the world need to be equally skilled to stop hackers. Computer-based cybersecurity training can help you stop hackers from committing crimes.
You can find basic computer training courses at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers if you are interested in taking cybersecurity training courses. New Horizons of Southern California or Southern Arizona can provide you with the tools to stop cybercriminals from their tracks.
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It’s that time again! Soon, technology training budgets will be expiring. New Horizons can help you maximize your training dollars if your company is in a time crunch. Our award-winning serviceIT positions dominate the most in-demand jobs in 2016. CareerBuilder’s list shows how important these skills are. Each position was ranked based on the number of companies that posted job ads and how many people were hired in the field. The list gave higher rankings to those jobs that had more postings than were filled. Experian, Scottrade and Donald Trump’s hotels were among those that reported breaches. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, found evidence that Chinese infiltrators were operating in the private sector of the United States despite the fact that they had publicly denied it. Congress is poised for cybersecurity legislation, the first time in history. Needless to mention, hackers have caused quite a stir in cyberspace.