Australian Universities at Significant Risk of a Cyber Attack

Australian Universities at Significant Risk of a Cyber Attack 

A recent audit of the IT environment for Australia’s universities found repeated failures to address identified weaknesses in their IT systems, making them especially susceptible to cyber attacks. Focused on just 10 universities, the audit identified one university, Charles Sturt University, as a high risk, and the other universities were classified as a moderate security risk. Perhaps most troubling, many of the vulnerabilities were repeat findings, indicating that universities are either unable or unwilling to improve their cybersecurity posture to address existing and emerging threats. 

The report comes on the heels of a recent cyber attack in which hackers accessed 19 years of university data that included sensitive information about current and former staff and students. Since universities are trusted with troves of personal information, including data from minors, addressing these concerns should be a top priority. These weaknesses, according to the audit, could cause significant financial or reputational loss for universities that can’t improve in this capacity. 

Of course, cyber threats are not unique to universities. Today’s threat landscape is continually progressing, making it wise to partner with trusted cybersecurity authorities to ensure that your organization is prepared to meet these challenges. 

https://amp.smh.com.au/national/nsw/universities-across-nsw-at-significant-risk-of-further-cyber-attacks-audit-finds-20190606-p51vba.html

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com