On 12th June 2024, Quorum Cyber hosted an exclusive roundtable at Queen Mary University of London, to discuss the latest cyber security threats and how to combat them using Microsoft technologies. 

In this digital age where sensitive data is handled daily, it becomes not just a responsibility but a necessity for Higher Education institutions to ensure they are cyber secure. 

The half-day event kicked off with Tim Passe, Head of Information Security, and Richard Holland, Assistant Director – Office of the CIO from Queen Mary University (QMUL), who both shared the internal challenges universities and colleges face daily. They provided a firsthand account of how Quorum Cyber played a crucial role in handling QMUL’s recent incident, giving attendees valuable knowledge on how Microsoft solutions can create a safer, more secure academic environment.

Rachel Bence, CIO and Chair of the Russell Universities Group of IT Directors emphasised the need for securing funding for cyber awareness training, especially at Board level, despite the economic crisis limiting resources. The cyber incident QMUL faced sped up it’s cyber security journey to ensure its data is kept protected. 

Quorum Cyber’s experts then dived into the implications of AI emergence, strategic capability and threats, and the significance of cyber security for the c-suite. They reiterated the importance of a proactive approach to risk, reliable threat hunting knowledge, and the necessity of Incident Response (IR) plan testing. The discussion also explained the crucial ecosystem of customers’ internal and external departments that support incidents, for example, legal, finance etc.

Using AI to protect data 

Leon Butler, Head of Data Security at Quorum Cyber, provided an in-depth exploration of AI’s role in protecting academic data.  Leon stated that, “with AI, we can supercharge the services that we provide today. It’s a better-together story combining GenAI and human-centric insights’’. He highlighted the synergies between Microsoft’s Copilot for Security and Microsoft Purview, underlining the impact on how these solutions can help the higher education sector. His session was packed with insights into reducing risks, enhancing information protection, and creating a safer digital environment for everyday practice. Leon stated that every organisation is experiencing the explosion of data growth and needs to rethink the approach to managing and protecting data, quoting that 83% of organisations experience more than one data breach in a lifetime.   

Implementing incident response 

Jack Alexander, Quorum Cyber’s Senior Threat Intelligence Consultant, brought to light emerging trends in the current threat landscape. His session explored how geopolitical events in the coming year would affect the higher education sector landscape. Jack shared valuable tips on strengthening defences against impending threats. He also stated how an independent survey of 5,000 cyber security leaders across 14 countries found that higher education is most likely to pay more than the original ransom demanded (67% paid more than the original ransom amount asked for), and least likely to pay less than the original demand (20% paid less). For example, the initial ransom is likely adjusted once the threat actor fully understands the sensitive nature of the exfiltrated data, therefore additional leverage can be applied. 

Jack’s recommendation to avoid ransomware attacks is to secure a robust Incident Response Retainer and a Security Maturity Assessment (SMA). For example, a full Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution.  “Quorum Cyber’s SMA service identifies areas of strength and weakness in any organisation’s security posture, helping them to understand their readiness to respond to security incidents, and provides a roadmap for improving their security strategy,” he said.   

Join us next time

The roundtable event served as a platform to discover how Microsoft solutions can implement a safer, more secure academic environment. Quorum Cyber’s next CyberEd Higher Education Roundtable will take place at the University of Glasgow on 7th August 2024. Register your place today!