Spending for cybersecurity is expected to exceed $1 trillion from 2017 to 2020 as more individuals start using their smartphones and data become the most important resource in the world. And hackers aren’t just searching for credit card numbers and medical records anymore. They’re searching for any bit of information about your employees they can sell on the black market, including Social Security numbers and other personal information found inside your e-learning platforms and those platforms integrated with it.
Here are a few basic things you need to know about e-learning security as a learning and development professional.
There Are Different Types of Attacks
Cyberattacks come from various points and it’s not always obvious to end users when they’re happening. Here are the types of attacks you need to know about.
- Availability Attacks occur when services of a system are unavailable to legitimate users for a time.
- Integrity Attacks destroy or modify content in a system.
- Confidentiality Attacks attempt to expose confidential data to unauthorized users.
- Authentication Attacks attempt to gain access to system information by using stolen passwords, keys, credentials, or an attack device pretending to be a legitimate device trying to gain access to the system.
- Authorization Attacks occur because of unauthorized access to specific content.
Two-Factor Authentication Is a Must
All users’ passwords should be secure, consisting of diverse characters and numbers, and should be changed every month or so. But in addition to more secure passwords, your users should be required to use two-factor authentication when accessing your e-learning system. This means they should enter their password and then something else additional that proves their identity such as a personal identification number (PIN) or an answer to a security question.
Staying Secure Requires You to Back Everything Up
A good backup system can help counter availability attacks. If hackers try to crash your system so that they can access information in it, you’ll lose your original data. Data and confidential information in your e-learning system should also be saved in multiple highly secure servers and encrypted and should never all be available in one central server location on the back end.
You Should Always Stay Up to Date on Current Threats
Hackers are always trying new ways to hack any type of system that contains valuable data and information. As soon as a new security mechanism is invented or implemented, they will try to surpass it. Make sure you’re always aware of what types of new tactics and techniques they’re using to infiltrate systems and steal information.
Your Employees are the Weakest Link
Unfortunately, it’s not just up to the IT department to keep your e-learning systems and information secure. Each time one of your employees loses a mobile device, your systems are at risk. Each time he or she doesn’t use appropriate passwords, your systems are at risk. To keep your e-learning systems secure, keep employees updated on how they can help keep your systems secure, too, and let them know about new malware and spyware that’s created so they don’t accidentally download corrupted files or mobile apps.
Keep the above tips and information in mind to keep your e-learning systems as secure as possible.