Cybersecurity

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Introduction

The higher education sector plays an important role in the cybersecurity of America. Through its core mission of teaching and learning, higher education is the main source of future leaders, innovators, and the technical workforce. Through research, higher education is the basic source of much of our new knowledge and future technologies. Colleges and universities also operate some of the world's largest collections of computers and high-speed networks. This resource page provides information related to all aspects of cybersecurity for higher education, with an emphasis on strategies, policies, and other tools that will assist institutions of higher education to prevent, detect, and respond to vulnerabilities that threaten college and university computers and networks.

EDUCAUSE is actively involved with this area through the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Higher Education Information Security Council (formerly the Security Task Force).

Information Security Guide: Effective Practices and Solutions for Higher Education

The Information Security Guide: Effective Practices and Solutions for Higher Education is now available in wiki format. This resource provides practical approaches to preventing, detecting, and responding to security problems in a wide range of higher education environments. This online service is designed with colleges and universities in mind, balancing our need for security with the need for an open, collaborative networking environment. Also, because one of the overarching concerns in college and university information technology (IT) departments is a lack of resources, an effort is made to provide low-cost solutions. The target audiences are those responsible for information security in colleges and universities and information technology staff who implement and manage security measures. Recognizing that many institutions have initiated or are in the process of developing IT security programs and policies, an effort is made throughout this resource to present practices that are useful at each stage of the developmental process.

As a community-driven, community-serving project, it is important for this initiative to incorporate experiences and perspectives from many different institutions. To contribute case studies that have been effective in your institution, please contact security-council@educause.edu.

Events Calendar

View past and future security-related events.

Latest News

Five Pilot Projects Receive Grants to Promote Online Security and Privacy

InCommon will be heavily involved in a $1.8 million grant awarded to Internet2 to build a consistent and robust privacy infrastructure. Partners include Carnegie Mellon, Brown, University of Texas...

Virginia Tech First to Achieve Bronze and Silver Assurance

Virginia Tech has become the first identity provider to achieve Bronze and Silver certification as part of the InCommon Assurance Program.

Recommended IAM Sessions at EDUCAUSE 2012

The annual EDUCAUSE Conference in Denver will provide an opportunity to explore the range and depth of issues that campuses must consider as they build...

Recommended Security & Privacy Sessions at EDUCAUSE 2012

Find a variety of E12 security and privacy-related sessions in Denver or online.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012 is HERE!

Find resources and see what other campuses are doing this October for NCSAM.

Policy Matters NCSAM Article (Sep/Oct 2012)

NCSAM article in the latest EDUCAUSE Review offers resources and suggestions for campuses to support security awareness efforts in October.

Library Items on this Topic

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EDUCAUSE Library Items for Cybersecurity

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Toolkit for Developing an Identity and Access Management (IAM) Program: May 7, 2013

The IAM Program Outline has been created as a roadmap for institutions to use in developing an IAM program (or to address gaps in their current offerings) including: Providing a structure o…
Information Security Program Assessment Tool: April 15, 2013

This self-assessment tool was created to evaluate the maturity of higher education information security programs using as a framework the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2700…
Top Information Security Concerns for Campus Executives & Data Stewards: September 22, 2010

This new Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC) resource, Top Information Security Concerns for Campus Executives & Data Stewards, is the first in a series of awareness message…
Account Provisioning/De-Provisioning Table: December 8, 2009

The account provisioning/de-provisioning spreadsheet is one example of an institution's attribute mapping table for campus roles and services. The accompanying Word document provides a brie…
Organizing Your Campus IT Security Website: August 18, 2009

In an effort to help institutions create IT security websites that are informative and helpful to their users, EDUCAUSE has compiled a list of common features and effective practices that can ser…
NCSAM Resource Kit: August 18, 2009

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is an annual effort to increase awareness and prevention of online security problems, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Natio…
Data Protection Contractual Language: August 18, 2009

The purpose of this resource is to provide sample contract language for common themes related to data protection as well as practical guidance as to when and how to consider the themes when draft…
Compliance Assessment Template: September 24, 2008

This sample Harvard University questionnaire is designed to assist people in understanding if the setup and operation of their systems are in compliance with the Harvard Enterprise Information …
Data Classification Toolkit: August 18, 2008

The Data Classification Toolkit is a compilation of resources pertaining to data classification in higher education. Although data classification is just one component of a comprehensive program …
Risk Assessment Tools List: March 14, 2008

This list of Risk Assessment tools has been developed to assist campuses in the risk assessment planning process. The tools are a mix of some sold or licensed by vendors, some provided by colleag…