Cyber Threat Assessment 2024: lessons and action points after ten years of cyber threats in education and research

One of the conclusions in the Cyber Threat Assessment 2024 is that cybersecurity maturity in education and research has grown over the past decade, but a number of persistent weaknesses remain. These include failure to patch software (on time), lack of adequate backups and failure to implement two-factor authentication. The shortage of security specialists, dependence on suppliers and cloud services, and security awareness also remain undiminished.

Collaboration as a success factor

On a positive note, the higher resilience of institutions is mainly due to intensive cooperation within the sector. During impactful events such as the introduction of the GDPR, the hack at Maastricht University and the corona pandemic, institutions joined forces. This collective approach helps to combat cyber threats effectively.

Sham security due to lack of incidents

Although alertness increased after the Maastricht hack, awareness dropped slightly after 2022, probably because no major incidents took place. This can create a false sense of security as threats continue to evolve. For cybersecurity professionals, it is important to recognise this false security and remain alert, even in periods without major attacks.

Key lessons

Key lessons from the past decade therefore remain relevant:

• Get your basic hygiene in order: patch systems, implement two-factor authentication and make regular backups
• Collaborate and share knowledge: learn from each other and exchange best practices.
• Be open about mistakes and incidents: don't be ashamed when things go wrong and share experiences to make the sector stronger.
• Practice regularly: continue to invest in simulations and test scenarios so that alertness remains high within the institution.

Influence of AI

AI is expected to influence the speed of the race between threats and measures. The essence of cybersecurity work will remain the same; people will remain the most important link. Therefore, a more alert and flexible approach to cybersecurity is more important than ever.

Cybersecurity dashboard: current threats and action perspectives

Together with the Cyber Threat Assessment 2024, SURF is also launching the Cybersecurity Dashboard. This dashboard provides an up-to-date overview of threats, vulnerabilities and corresponding action perspectives, as well as trends, news and incidents from the sector. The dashboard can be found at https://edu.nl/cyberbeeld (log in with SURFconext).