Creating a safe space: WordPress security for higher ed professionals

Session description

Education at its heart is about sharing information, and those involved in the educational field want to make it easier to obtain information, whether it's related to coursework or the processes a student needs to schedule classes or graduate.  WordPress is a wonderful tool that makes it easier to share - but these caring professionals may not realize the security needed to protect the information they collect and share.  The higher education sector is increasingly a target for cyber attacks, but is one of the least prepared to handle cyber threats.

Site owners in an educational institution often have little idea of the threats, or what actions they can take to protect their information.  They may assume this is the responsibility of the IT department, which is focused on enterprise-level security and likely overstretched as it is.  Both site owners and IT security professionals can benefit from using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework to help identify risks and protect against threats to their WordPress sites and the valuable information they hold.

Key takeways from this session will be an understanding of cyber threats to higher education, familiarity with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and some specific items to consider when creating and operating a WordPress site for your institution.