What are key takeaways from The Chronicle of Higher Education’s virtual forum on Artificial Intelligence’s Impact on College Cybersecurity?
The Chronicle of Higher Education recently held a virtual forum with industry leaders and campus officials to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that universities and colleges face when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). Here are some of the highlights coming out of the session.
AI Usage is Growing… and So are the Cybersecurity Risks
The use and awareness of AI surged in 2024, making discussions about its threats and benefits more crucial than ever. AI is now ubiquitous, including on college campuses. Colleges and universities are prime targets for hackers due to the valuable data they hold, such as research and student personal information. According to the Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, the education sector is among the top three most breached industries, with about 16% of incidents originating from higher education.
Several factors contribute to this vulnerability: limited resources for additional security measures, open networks for user collaboration, and unmanaged student personal devices accessing the network. Additionally, the diverse demographic groups needing access—students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni—pose a significant challenge in keeping hackers at bay.
Cybersecurity and Third-party Risk Management
Moving to the cloud has significantly impacted cybersecurity for colleges and universities. While panelists agree that cloud migration enhances infrastructure resiliency, the responsibility for cybersecurity and data protection still lies with the institutions themselves, not just third-party cloud vendors.
When considering outsourcing key cybersecurity functions, panelists recommend starting with an internal analysis based on the type and classification of data, and the potential impact of a breach. It’s also crucial to ensure that the third-party cybersecurity vendor is a good fit for the specific institution. Common methods to ensure this fit include surveys and security reviews.
The Importance of Cybersecurity Awareness and Training
Cybersecurity awareness and training has become more important and more challenging with the increase in use of AI. One panelist stated that some organizations believe that having separate AI training is the appropriate response. Specific AI threats to cybersecurity within the higher education industry include how quickly AI can learn how to write a believable email or create genuine looking images.
Regulating AI and Compliance Needs
The constantly shifting technical and financial compliance regulatory environments, driven by new AI developments, present challenges for universities and colleges. It’s often impractical to have separate compliance officers for every team, making training and education on these matters increasingly vital.
On a positive note, AI also plays a crucial role in defending against cybersecurity threats. It helps management organize and respond to alerts that are more relevant to the user’s specific situation, reducing the need to sift through a flood of information. This targeted approach ensures users know where to focus their attention, enabling timely responses to potential threats.
The Importance of AI Education
The panelists also discussed the potential benefits in growing the computer-science and psychology programs to ensure students have at least a high-level understanding of the impacts of AI and cybersecurity. The panelists all agreed that there is going to be an increased demand for AI related jobs, which means a growing need for AI education.
Regardless of your opinions on the use of AI and how it affects cybersecurity, it has become more important than ever for key for members of all industries to be aware of how it is affecting their job roles, regulatory environment, and to obtain necessary trainings on these topics.
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