Is a password manager for the education sector a must?

The education sector is among the most cyber-targeted industries globally. An alarming 92% of educational organizations were breached or attacked in the past 12 months.

Most of these attacks were related or targeted to passwords. In 2021, the average cost of a data breach reached a record $4.24 million.

Cybersecurity experts unanimously agree that taking protective measures instead of suffering from the attack is always less harmful.

A password manager for the education sector might just be the tool you need. Here’s why.

Cybersecurity landscape: the urgent need for protective measures

The statistics for the education industry are worrisome.

The number of cyberattacks has grown by 75% since 2020, affecting more and more educational institutions each year.

The new ransomware attacks targeting universities and schools have frequently hit the headlines.

A few years ago, the Canadian University of Calgary paid a $20,000 ransom after being hit by a ransomware attack. The attack specifically targeted staff and faculty employees. Yet, neither students nor lecturers were allowed to use or access their emails.

Similarly, after a data breach, a Minnesota School District was forced to shut down all systems for the day to give time for IT professionals to restore the infrastructure.

Educational institutions have always been and, according to forecasts, will be a target of cybercriminals.

Why is the educational industry a frequent target?

There are a few motifs why the educational industry is one of the most targeted sectors.

• Universities and schools store valuable staff and students’ information such as names, surnames, addresses, emails, etc.
• Usually, higher education institutions do not have enough financial and human resources to defend against cyber threats. Hackers can quite easily identify and exploit vulnerabilities.
• Universities and colleges usually handle a large number of student fees. This money is a highly fruitful target for cybercriminals.

In such a turbulent cybersecurity landscape, the proper digital safety-focused tools such as a password manager for the education sector become vital.

How can a password manager for the education sector protect organizations?

A password manager for the education industry can serve as an ideal tool to boost password and data management security.

Enhanced security

First, a password manager for the educational institution offers secure data storage. Staff can safely keep their passwords, secret notes, and other relevant types of information in an encrypted vault.

The Zero-knowledge protocol ensures that no external, unauthorized party could access your sensitive information. This means cybercriminals cannot access or steal valuable information from the vault.

Improved convenience

Besides, a password manager for the education sector opens a more convenient way to manage data.

For example, a dean of the faculty can safely share a students’ evaluation system password with the vice dean, so he can share the credentials with the lecturers.

If someone from the staff modifies the password, the tool automatically tracks all changes.

Fewer mistakes

Introducing a password manager for the education sector to the school or university leads to fewer mistakes that can unknowingly cause a cyber attack.

A proper tool makes it easy to follow exemplary password hygiene practices.

The tool allows creating a secure password with only a few clicks. It automatically saves and fills credentials for the staff whenever they need to log in on PCs and mobile phones.

Combining cybersecurity training for staff with a secure password management tool can help you achieve high-security standards at your university or school.

Try out PassCamp – password manager for the education industry – and minimize the education sector-targeted risks of cyber threats today.