Sometimes in the comms team here at Netskope I hear fantastic tales that are not yet approved for public consumption. The frustration is very real when I hear of a creative customer implementation that cannot yet be told to the wider world. But today I have contrived a clever way to be able to share one of these stories with a veil of anonymity, ahead of a bigger effort to craft a case study for full public consumption.

‍HECVAT (Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit) is a security assessment questionnaire that measures the cybersecurity risk of third-party vendors for higher education institutions. It helps universities ensure that their third-party vendors have implemented proper security practices and policies, which are measured against a comprehensive list of security controls, to protect the large amounts of sensitive data and personally identifiable information (PII) they manage.

Schools and non-profits share the same problem when it comes to cybersecurity budgeting: limited resources which forces a choice between staff with the right expertise and effective tools that work for the organisation.

Although cyberattacks on higher education institutions date back years, there has been a spike in university cyberattacks over the last two years. Cybercriminals had taken advantage of the rapid transition to hybrid learning that higher education institutions have been forced to implement before they had time to strengthen their cybersecurity, which has left most of them exposed. This is yet another example of accelerated adoption of new technologies before security measures are in place.

Higher education institutions, like colleges and universities, often work with dozens of third-party vendors, which can introduce considerable security risks if the school doesn't maintain a proper vendor risk management (VRM) program. Compromised third parties can pose serious risks to universities, which can expose sensitive data, disrupt business continuity, or incur serious financial damages.

While online learning provides many positive opportunities for learners and teachers alike, it is more important than ever to strengthen cybersecurity defenses to deal with new and emerging attacks. As school is back in session, now is a good time to double-check that you’re doing everything necessary to keep your data (and your homework) secure online.

‍Data leaks happen when sensitive data or personally identifiable information (PII) is accidentally exposed on the internet or dark web. Typically, data leaks only occur due to poor cyber hygiene, weak network security, or software misconfiguration that can lead to unintended data exposure. Without proper data leak detection processes, cybercriminals and hackers can exploit the exposed data without the organization’s knowledge using open-source intelligence (OSINT).