Why Cybersecurity Matters for Students and Academia

In the Philippines, universities play a crucial role in shaping future leaders, and maintaining a secure digital environment is essential for fostering trust, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring continuous access to educational resources. Universities hold vast amounts of sensitive data, including personal information on students, faculty, and staff and valuable research data. With the rise of cyber threats globally, universities are increasingly becoming prime targets for hackers who may seek to exploit this data for financial gain, intellectual property theft, or disruption of academic operations.

Why Cybersecurity Matters for Universities:

• Protection of Sensitive Data: Universities handle a wealth of personal information, including student records, financial data, research findings, and intellectual property. A cyberattack could lead to data breaches, identity theft, and financial loss.
• Disruption of Academic Operations: Cyberattacks can disrupt critical university systems, such as email, learning management systems, and research databases. This can hinder academic activities, delay research progress, and impact the overall educational experience.
• Damage to Reputation: A major cyberattack can severely damage a university's reputation, leading to a loss of trust from students, faculty, parents, and donors. It can also negatively impact the institution's brand image and recruitment efforts.
• Compliance with Regulations: Universities are subject to various data protection and privacy regulations, such as the Philippines' Data Privacy Act of 2012. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines and legal penalties.

Incidents Involving Universities

Cyber security attacks have become more frequent in our country, mainly involving top educational institutions that hold thousands of student and employee data.

These incidents of cyber attacks are crucial since threat initiators are targeting educational institutions where our future leaders and educators are being held and nurtured. That is why efforts to enhance robust cybersecurity for the safety of our students inside their so-called second homes must be a top priority for educational sectors.

Cybersecurity Posture of Philippine Universities: A Six-Month Performance Analysis

The security ratings are scored based on these 10 factors:

More info about the metrics: https://securityscorecard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/EBOOK-MethodologyDeepDive-3.0_v2-1.pdf 

Comparative Analysis of 7 leading educational institution in the Philippines, as of November 20, 2024

The chart shows the security scores of the selected universities over a period of 6 months.

• Overall Trends:
• The graph tracks performance (possibly rankings or scores) of six entities across a timeline (June to November).
• Performance varies across entities, with some showing stability and others experiencing fluctuations.
• Top Performers:
• San Beda (in blue) exhibits the highest peaks, frequently crossing into the A grade range. However, performance is highly erratic, with occasional dips to lower grades.
• Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) (in cyan) consistently stays around the A grade boundary, reflecting stable high performance.
• Mid-Performers
• Far Easter University (FEU) (in green) performance is steady, mostly hovering between the B and C grades. It neither peaks nor dips significantly, indicating moderate and consistent results.
• Consistent Lower Scores:
• De La Salle University (DLSU), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), and University of the Philippines (UP) (in pink, purple, and red) stay relatively low in the scoring spectrum, with minor fluctuations but consistently between D and F grades.
• Monthly Variation:
• Some universities, like San Beda and PUP, experience sharp increases and decreases, possibly due to specific events or updates impacting their scores.
• Others, like DLSU, ADMU, and UP, show minimal variation, indicating consistent but lower performance levels.

Importance of Practicing Cybersecurity Hygiene in Educational Institution

In the intricate landscape of Philippine higher education, universities are not only academic institutions but also custodians of sensitive personal data. This dual role necessitates strict adherence to data protection and privacy regulations. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA) stands as a cornerstone, mandating organizations to safeguard personal information. To prevent data breaches, universities must implement robust security measures, including data encryption, access controls, and employee training. Additionally, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 addresses cybercrimes like hacking and identity theft, underscoring the need for universities to establish vigilant cybersecurity practices. By prioritizing regulatory compliance, universities can mitigate risks, protect their reputation, and safeguard the trust of their students, faculty, and staff.