The University of Wollongong is now better armed to fight off cyber criminals.
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In choosing to invest in automating vulnerability management to its 32,000 students, UOW is also better able to adapt to current and future challenges, such as support for remote learning.
Research shows Australia's educational institutions are being targeted more aggressively by cyber criminals than in any other country.
Recent cyber attacks across multiple universities have further reinforced the risks being faced by Australia's higher education sector.
That's why UOW has partnered with cyber exposure company Tenable.
UOW cyber-security manager Steve Cliffe said UOW had been using Nessus® for a number of years to run vulnerability scans.
He said however, with growing security requirements that come with managing multiple locations, the security team needed to automate and increase the frequency of scans from once a quarter to stay on top of threats.
"Tenable.io has enabled us to narrow down and address the vulnerabilities that pose the greatest risk to our organisation faster than ever before. We now have visibility over 20,000 assets and are able to support the provision of in-person and distance learning programmes for over 35,000 students," Mr Cliffe said.
Tenable.io has enabled us to narrow down and address the vulnerabilities that pose the greatest risk to our organisation faster than ever before.
- UOW cyber-security manager Steve Cliffe
"Automating and streamlining processes have also allowed our team to focus on important security initiatives including cyber-security training and coordinating with the board to implement new policies."
UOW's vulnerability management program has quickly become the cornerstone for a more holistic and proactive approach to cyber-security across the organisation.
Cliffe's team runs weekly vulnerability reports for the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences. In addition, the team also captures summaries of new vulnerabilities and closed vulnerabilities on a daily basis.
A fortnightly overview of cyber-security activities is also reported to IT Senior Management who recognise the importance of a strong cyber security program.
"The ability to discover, remediate and report on vulnerabilities in real-time has opened up a new level of dialogue with faculty members and senior management about how secure we are and need to be as the threat landscape evolves within the education sector," Mr Cliffe said.
Scott McKinnel, Tenable country manager said UOW was a shining example of an organisation which had established a robust security program to accurately identify, prioritise and remediate vulnerabilities that pose the greatest business risk.
"We are very pleased to partner with a forward-thinking organisation such as UOW on its journey to reduce its Cyber Exposure gap," he said.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
