Quorum Cyber shares cyber security expertise at the Higher Education Partnership Network

Hosted in central Manchester, this year’s Higher Education Partnership Network (HEPN) North expo took place on 27-28th February, attracting hundreds of leaders and suppliers to the education sector who wanted to know more about how cutting-edge technology can help them overcome their most pressing challenges. Quorum Cyber Account Manager Stuart Kelly, Sales Consultant Dan Poole, and Senior Threat Intelligence Consultant Jack Alexander attended the expo to share their knowledge and expertise with delegates.

From left to right: Quorum Cyber experts Jack Alexander, Dan Poole, and Stuart Kelly. 

Some of the UK’s universities rank among the most prestigious education institutions in the world, and as well as teaching hundreds of thousands of students every year – many from overseas – they also conduct leading research in numerous fields and collaborate with government departments, businesses, hospitals, and organisations in all areas of the economy.  

So, it’s no surprise that the sector is a prime target for cybercriminals who see their wealth of data as a treasure trove and source of financial gain.  

The HEPN expo gave Quorum Cyber’s experts the chance to meet representatives from various universities to understand their challenges and explain how robust cyber security can protect them from the ever-evolving threats in today’s landscape. The conversations flowed around how to defend organisations that have so many individuals studying and working around the clock, accessing systems and tools remotely at all hours of the day and night, often using their own devices.  

Counting many British universities among its growing base of customers, Quorum Cyber was proud to be present as the Premium Platinum Sponsor of the two-day event. Our Senior Threat Intelligence Consultant, Jack Alexander, presented on the main stage on the first day of the expo, with his talk, ‘Exploiting Education: An Intelligence Analysis’. 

Taking to the stage 

In his talk, Jack explained how, like in any other industry, the higher education sector faces many online threats. Cybercriminal groups are constantly trying to make money by holding institutions to ransom, and nation states are attempting to steal valuable information to gain a competitive edge. Jack covered some of the key trends he sees today, including how criminals are taking advantage of multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue, AI-generated deep fakes of images, voice and video, and the growing threat of stealware. 

Above: Jack Alexander presenting on day 1 of HEPN.

“It was an honour to speak to such an engaged audience who are clearly passionate about education and want to learn how best to protect their students, researchers, employees, assets and intellectual property from harm,” says Jack Alexander. 

Learn more about how Quorum Cyber minimises the risks of cyber-attacks for universities and colleges in a unpredictable and hostile digital environment.