Assuring Cyber Security in An Unsure World

Even though Frontier Nursing University has a beautiful campus that is busy with students, faculty, and staff on a daily basis, the university is well known for its excellence in distance education and maintains a significant online presence. Students are on campus for less than two weeks during their degree programs, with the bulk of their time taking place online and at their clinical sites. Faculty and staff also work from home or the office with equal efficiency.

It is of paramount importance that the university’s online systems be efficient, reliable, and secure. It is a tall task, but one that Information Technology Director Marc Blevins and his team of information technology professionals diligently manage every day.

Blevins joined Frontier in December 2022, bringing with him more than 15 years of experience in information technology and higher education administration. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Morehead State University. He is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and maintains professional memberships with Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

We asked him to answer a few questions about how the university works to ensure cyber security while maintaining a reliable, user-friendly system.

With employees working both remotely and on campus and students attending classes both virtually and on campus, what are the unique challenges that the IT department faces in providing service that is both reliable and safe?

Marc Blevins (MB): The role of every IT organization has evolved over the last decade. The 2010s saw a dramatic increase in the number of individuals and organizations who conduct business and have a significant online presence, including socially and financially. There was a parallel increase in the global number of higher-speed internet users during this same period. Most of these users do not have malicious intent, of course, but the widespread access to financial data and the rise of hard-to-trace cryptocurrencies spurred a rise in organized cyber criminal activities.

Prior to cybersecurity becoming a household word, IT personnel prized the availability and stability that come with a static, unchanging environment. However, devices that are online and available for everyone also mean that they are available to those with malicious intent. IT personnel now must balance the requirement for availability with the requirement to ensure cybersecurity and the integrity of our digital lives.

Frontier Nursing University has not been immune to the increase in cyber activity targeting our users and infrastructure. We have seen exponential increases in the number of phishing emails received while also seeing the developing sophistication of these attacks grow from obvious to elaborate. More and more, there is a social engineering component to these attempts, such as your boss emailing you with your salary or performance evaluation attached.

IT is an ever-changing field. How do you and your staff stay up-to-date to ensure the university is current and adhering to best practices?

MB: Frontier Nursing University provides staff access to various resources that provide opportunities for our staff to learn. The IT team takes advantage of courses on LinkedIn Learning to explore new areas and broaden their exposure to different areas of IT. Another resource that we use is Microsoft Learning. Many businesses have core services that operate on the Microsoft Azure platform, and the complexity of these applications increases every year. Targeted learning opportunities like Microsoft Learning are really to deepen our subject matter expertise, while the LinkedIn Learning courses serve to open up different subject areas.

In 2023, we are planning to expand the targeted learning opportunities to ensure that our staff has the chance to really drill into their current SME areas. This helps our employees stay learning and engaged in bettering themselves while also contributing more to our Frontier community.

What are the most common online security risks for the university and its community members?

MB: The most common cybersecurity issue that affects our community is phishing email schemes. These emails are designed to be very convincing and create a sense of importance or urgency so that we take action quickly and without thinking. Oftentimes, the goal is to get you to open an attachment containing malware or, more directly, to fool you into entering your username and password.

What services, techniques, and strategies do you utilize to safeguard the university and its community members against cyber attacks?

MB: Frontier Nursing University takes cybersecurity and the digital well-belling of our community very seriously. We have invested resources into several areas that help safeguard our systems, data, and users.

We routinely conduct various levels of phishing simulations that range from obvious to sophisticated. These simulations test users and monitor any type of engagement with the phishing material. Users who engage with the simulation are rated and provided corresponding training relative to the rating. Users who engage with obvious phishing attempts are required to take more rigorous training, while the sophisticated attempts require shorter, more targeted training.

All of our users must enroll in two-factor authentication (2FA) to use their FNU account. 2FA ensures that when someone attempts to log in to a system using your username and password, there is still another verification method –generally, your phone – that is tied to you and your physical location. That means that if someone is able to obtain your FNU credentials, there is still a layer of security between them and your account, your emails, and your data.

Further, we have solutions that help us monitor user logins for high-risk activity. Sometimes, when someone is able to obtain your FNU credentials, they try to use them at different locations around the world in short order. If we detect that an account tries to log in from the United States, London, and Tokoyo all within a couple of hours, that is going to be flagged as a compromised account. We take quick and decisive action on compromised accounts while also reaching out to our affected community members to help them recover.

How do you test the university’s cyber security to ensure that the safeguards in place are working properly?

MB: In addition to the aforementioned services, we also employ a system and application vulnerability scanner that actively tests our systems and web applications for any existing or known vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities range from routine updates to complex application issues that must be addressed with our vendors. Our good practices often lead us to be at the forefront of resolving vulnerabilities with our vendors and their other customers.