Why Colleges And Universities Need Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Check out the 6 Reasons Why College Students Are Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
Colleges and universities across the country are welcoming students back to campus with first-year student orientation, parents’ weekends and football games. While students and faculty are gearing up for a year of learning, colleges and universities should also implement cybersecurity awareness training. Read on to learn what cybersecurity awareness entails and why higher education institutions need to implement it.
What Is Cybersecurity Awareness?
Cybersecurity awareness focuses on understanding the types of cybersecurity risks and taking the necessary precautions and actions to protect an organization’s IT assets. Many educational institutions are now offering cybersecurity awareness training for their students, faculty and staff via the following methods:
- Bringing in cybersecurity professionals to educate groups of stakeholders
- Offering self-paced online courses
- Providing regular cybersecurity awareness training on current threats for employees
Why Provide Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Since the initial COVID outbreak, many students have chosen to achieve their higher education goals via distance learning. Students have also embraced the convenience and cost savings that online learning provides. Unfortunately, threat actors have also embraced higher learning to deploy additional cyberattacks.
6 Reasons Why College Students Are Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
There are 19 million college students in the U.S. and counting according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Most of them are interfacing with classes, professors and fellow student using their universities’ online IT infrastructure which may not be secure and up to date. As a result, they are exposed to a variety of cyber threats including:
- Computer and mobile security vulnerabilities
- Password security weaknesses
- Phishing attacks
- Social media threats
- Campus thefts and scams
- Travel and off-campus security threats
Protect Against Cyber Threats
You can create a cyber aware culture and Fortinet can help. Our free cybersecurity training helps colleges and universities educate their communities on the current threat landscape, empowering them to serve as front-line defenders against cyber threats. Our training features self-paced learning for cybersecurity professionals, IT teams, teleworkers and others.
Knowledge is power. Enroll in Fortinet’s free cybersecurity training to access the tools and information you need to thwart cyberattacks, understand cybersecurity protocols and learn ways to secure a wide range of devices and applications on your networks.