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Security & Privacy


1 in 10 Phishing E-mails Fool Users in Education Field

In a recent study, 10 percent of simulated phishing e-mails sent to users in education institutions were successful, triggering the recipient to click on a fraudulent link. That's according to the 2018 State of the Phish report from Wombat Security Technologies, in which researchers measured the average click rates on phishing tests across various industries. Education had an average click rate of 10 percent; the industries that performed worst in the tests were telecommunications and retail, with 15 percent and 14 percent average click rates, respectively. 

Training Cuts Phishing Success

A new study by a security training company has found that even a few months of security awareness instruction can have a big impact on how well recipients respond to phishing attempts. In the education segment, specifically, KnowBe4 found that 27.16 percent of staff were "phishing-prone" — likely to open e-mails or click on files containing malware. After three months of training, the same people were 30 percent less likely to open such e-mail; and after a year, they were 88 percent less likely to do so.



Most Popular Password Turns Out to Be 123456

Recently, researchers at security firm 4iQ reported that they'd found a database of 1.4 billion clear text credentials, an aggregate database twice as large as any other ever uncovered in the dark web. The password 123456 was found in the database 9.2 million times.

Alumni Gift to Support Innovation, Entrepreneurship and More at RIT

Creativity, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence at the Rochester Institute of Technology are getting a boost thanks to a $50 million alumni gift, the largest donation ever made to the university.

Report: Most Women Decide Early Against a Cybersecurity Career

By the age of 16, most women in the United States, Europe and Israel have already decided not to pursue a career in cybersecurity, according to a new study from Kaspersky Lab.

Information Security No. 1 IT Issue for 2018

For the third year running, information security is topping the list of IT issues in higher education. The topic took the No. 1 spot in Educause's "Top 10 IT Issues and Strategic Technologies for 2018," announced last week at the organization's annual conference in Philadelphia.

Educause, Deloitte Report: Information Security Programs Must Be Formalized

Deloitte and Educause have partnered on a joint report that aims to inform higher education institutions of their responsibilities regarding new federal data protection requirements with deadlines beginning Dec. 31 of this year.

Survey Hints at Cybersecurity Communications Gap

Technology solutions provider CDW-G today released a cybersecurity survey that may indicate a communications gap between IT departments and students.

Survey: More Soft Skills Needed for Security Field

Soft skills are more important than ever when it comes to cybersecurity, according to a recent survey of IT security professionals conducted by Dimensional Research for security and compliance provider Tripwire.

Education Data Breaches Double in First Half of 2017

The number of lost, stolen or compromised records is up 164 percent in the first six months of this year compared to the last half of 2016, according to a new report. The number of breaches in the education sector more than doubled in the same period, jumping 103 percent, according to the report.