Colleges and universities are losing the battle against
malware, according to security firm OpenDNS, which reported that networks run
by higher education institutions are three times more likely to be infected
than government agencies or businesses.
The most common threat is Expiro, software that can
replicate itself, steal disk space, and slow computer memory to a halt. The
malware can also corrupt data, steal personal information, and erase hard
drives.
“Our research shows that while higher education
institutions face the same cyber-attacks as enterprises and government
agencies, they tend to be compromised by malware and botnets at a much higher
rate,” Dan Hubbard, chief technology officer at OpenDNS, told Campus Technology during the Educause 2013 conference. “Clearly, colleges and universities must
operate more open networks and support an endless number of access devices,
which puts them at higher risk.”
Hubbard suggested that “fundamental security best
practices” can reduce infection rates, such as alerting users when spear-phishing
appears, an e-mail fraud that seeks unauthorized access to confidential
information. Institutions should also use analytics to block access to
malvertising (online advertising that spreads malware) and watering holes
(sites infected with malware).