- Kinga Slonina
- September 28, 2023
- Use Case
Education Sector leveraging External Attack Surface Management
Edu sector — vulnerable to online threats
Who and why is most vulnerable to online threats? Sectors such as healthcare, banking, or education have in common a crucial factor: processing high volumes of personal data. Educational institutions possess a treasure trove of sensitive data, including student records, financial information, and research data. Cybercriminals know the worth of this data and exploit vulnerabilities to steal or manipulate it. Furthermore, many institutions face a challenge to invest in robust cybersecurity measures. This limitation often leaves them vulnerable to attacks. Last but not least, the rapid shift towards online learning has exposed educational entities to new risks. Remote learning platforms, student portals, and video conferencing tools have become attractive targets for cybercriminals more than ever. All of the above make the education sector vulnerable to online threats.
The cyber-attack prevention guidelines
Following recommended cyber-attack prevention guidelines is the first step to take to stay ahead of bad actors. In the United Kingdom, many organizations follow Cyber Essentials – a scheme of the best cyber-attack prevention guidelines by the National Cyber Security Centre. The education sector is not an exception in this matter.
The NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) advises schools and trusts to incorporate penetration testing services into their overall cyber security assurances.
Unfortunately, whilst the NCSC recognise these are expensive services, they remind organisations that penetration testing services are simply not a magic bullet, only validating vulnerabilities of known assets, on the day of the test.
— Rob Leggett, CEO & founder of Cyber Distribution
Cyber-security tools tailored to individual needs are highly appreciated in the markets especially vulnerable to online threats. Hence, Cyber Distribution worked closely with an MSP partner to present a complementary offering using the Sweepatic EASM Platform, which gives insight into known and unknown internet-facing assets 24/7. This non-intrusive digital risk protection tool helps organizations comply with recommended guidelines against cyber-attacks and be aware of the latest threats.
Schools trust - under one umbrella
Let’s take a look at the example of how EASM ensures a high-quality solution against (external) cyber-attacks for symbiosis organizations. A London-based Multi Academy Trust is an example organization that unifies to deliver better service, skills, and best support. Joining under one umbrella is also associated with an increased responsibility to manage its Internet attack surface. With the Sweepatic EASM Platform, this challenge is easily solved thanks to delivering automatic visibility on the organization’s attack surface and its acquired or to-be-acquired companies. In the case of united organizations or acquired companies, the Merges & Acquisitions use case is irreplaceable to stay up-to-date with a complete overview of the range of Internet attack surfaces. Without any form of installation, relying on OSINT and publicly accessible information, Sweepatic delivers an instant overview of possible vulnerable points, misconfigurations, look-alike domains, and much more.
What added value does Sweepatic bring to the table?
Sweepatic EASM provides a range of insightful information and asset feedback, thanks to which you can minimize the risk of a cyber attack. The first step in preventing any unwanted influences of bad actors is to be aware of your organization’s scope to understand where the vulnerability lies. With Sweepatic, this information is delivered daily via an intuitive Platform and its notification system. Our customer is content with the positive outcome that the Platform provides in terms of finding configuration gaps and identifying unknown vulnerabilities.
The partner was able to use the intelligent insights from Sweepatic, coupled with their security knowledge and advice, to aid the customer in remediating their identified vulnerabilities and configuration gaps.
— Rob Leggett, CEO & founder of Cyber Distribution
Configuration gaps, GDPR compliance, SSL certificate expiration monitoring, shadow IT, attack surface scoring, brand protection, and threat intelligence features are chosen use cases that EASM addresses to supply ultimate digital risk protection.
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Curious to see what the Sweepatic External Attack Surface Management Platform can do for your organization? Request a personalized demo!
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