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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Balancing the Need for Security and Open, Collaborative Networking: January 1, 2004

The EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) study of IT security in higher education portrays an industry that is struggling to secure a culturally open environment against the rising tide of…
HIPAA Risk Assessment Inventory Workbook: January 1, 2004

This is a template for the UW-Madison HIPAA Risk Assessment Inventory workbook and the powerpoint presentation which steps through each sheet of the workbook. Also included is an FAQ.+ …
Lessons Learned from RIT’s First Security Posture Assessment: January 1, 2004

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is the 11th largest private university in the United States with approximately 22,500 hosts on our network. We have one of the largest computer science and…
Five-Year Rotating Audit Focus Based on Risk Assessment at Georgia Tech: January 1, 2004

Georgia Tech operates one of the most complex networks in the world. The institute has more than 30,000 machines accessing the backbone daily. Most legacy, state-of-the-market, and state-of-the-a…
HIPAA Security Assessment: January 1, 2004

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) assessment tool was developed based on initial work by the North Carolina Health and Human Services (NCHHS) office. The NCHHS HIPAA S…
Business Impact Analysis/Risk Assessment for Information Assets: January 1, 2004

Model templates for Business Impact Analysis/Risk Assessment for Information Assets from Virginia Tech. Model templates for Business Impact Analysis/Ri…
Creating a Secure University: Technology, Policies, Education, and Culture: January 1, 2003

The open environment of a university seems to preclude taking the measures needed to secure its technology infrastructure, yet a few universities have managed to greatly decrease their vulnerabilit…
IT and Internal Auditing: Developing a Collaborative Approach to IT Security: January 1, 2003

Monitoring risks associated with IT is a shared institutional responsibility. Between operational responsibilities for promoting strong information systems and independent assessments throughout …
Information Security Risk Evaluation for Colleges and Universities: January 1, 2003

Carnegie Mellon University provides a security risk-management methodology that can be tailored easily to meet the demands of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace for higher education. Using …
Defining Risk and Fixing the Top 20: Security 101 for a Small School: January 1, 2003

What are the security issues for a small school with small budgets? Am I a target if I'm a small school with a low profile? Basic security rules and policies should be implemented at any schoo…