Abstract:

About 80% of further education and higher education institutes have reported data breach or cyber-attacks in the last 12 months and Phishing attacks are being reported as the most common form of attacks on the university networks. These phishing attacks may be from a variety of sources and to steal a variety of data within higher education institutes. The consequences of these attacks may be severe, and the potential route taken by these attacks are via the online learning platforms.

Online learning systems are faced with a unique challenge as numerous systems (student data, learning content and assessment data, lab resources, research, and IP related data etc) are accessed and managed via the Internet by thousands of users over a variety of networks. As a large distance learning provider, Open University has vast experience of managing online learning systems over the past several years. In this study we aim to investigate the areas of vulnerability within the online learning systems. Then propose a framework of IT security policy and procedures to address the identified threats to the university systems.

Keywords:

Cybersecurity, online learning systems, cyber-attack, IT security policies, Phishing attacks, Online learning platforms.