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Posted December 3, 2020
As a group, higher education may have performed better than other industry segments regarding NIST SP 800-171 compliance; however, a recent survey found that:
The level of compliance was tied to an institution’s existing processes, data segmentation, and staffing. Does your organization have procedures in place to ensure data security? Where does your institution stand when it comes to NIST compliance?
NIST SP 800-171 is a U.S. standard for the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI). CUI refers to information shared with non government entities by federal agencies. For higher education institutions, shared data may include information for federally-funded research or grants. It may also include student financial aid information. Although other government regulations exist for data protection such as FISMA and GLBA, NIST SP 800-171 is designed to address those instances where cybersecurity compliance is not explicitly addressed.
Complying with NIST SP 800-171 means meeting over 100 individual controls across the following groups:
In a 2016 letter, the government recognized the level of investment and effort required to comply with these standards; however, it stressed the importance of compliance because of increased cybersecurity threats.
Institutions of higher education may regard NIST standards as excessive. Many of the smaller institutions do not see themselves as possible targets of a cyberattack and are not concerned with 100% compliance. Unfortunately, that assumption is incorrect.
According to a 2020 report on data breaches, ransomware was responsible for 80% of malware-related incidents at higher education institutions, which is 48% higher than last year. Malware distribution through websites was the primary cause of the large number of unmonitored emails and internet activity from students, faculty, and staff who use their own devices.
A primary concern for educational institutions is incident reporting. Almost 25% lack a reporting process, and 50% could not supply the required evidence of an incident. These lapses can result in a cyberattack that damages an institution’s reputation and incurs financial penalties. Depending on the agency, non-compliance could result in a loss of federal funding.
According to an IBM report, loss of reputation has the largest financial impact on an organization because it translates into lost customers. It can take years to rebuild consumer confidence, and in some instances, it is never restored. With more institutions incorporating distance learning, the chances of a cyberattack increase as the number of endpoints increase. Maintaining high-security standards is essential to mitigating the risk of a cyber-incident.
Depending on the government agency and the severity of a breach or incident, institutions could lose funding. For research institutions, the loss of government funding or the revoking of grants not only hurts the financial health of the organization, but it also impacts its ability to attract researchers. Researchers are not going to attend an institution if they might lose their funding because of a failure to comply.
Although the government has given institutions years to comply, there will come a time when compliance will be expected. When an institution is out of compliance, penalties may result. These may be financial penalties above a loss of funding. Compliance is the only way for organizations to ensure their economic viability.
The best approach to compliance includes the following:
These three steps identify CUI data, where it is stored, and who has access. It requires a restricted permissions model that can be tightened with more rigorous authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication and a centralized identity entity. It puts into place an auditing framework that can be applied as institutions address each security control.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or GLBA was designed to protect an individual’s financial information. Although intended for the financial services sector, it applies to any organization that retains financial information. Since most students use financial aid, higher education institutions must comply with the GLBA.
GLBA protects financial information only. It does not protect other unclassified information that may be used to direct and evaluate government-funded research. NIST SP 800-171 is an umbrella standard that sets standards for enterprise-wide data collection, storage, and transmission. Complying with GLBA is not enough to satisfy the NIST SP 800-171 standards.
Cybersecurity incidents can ruin a higher education institution’s reputation. In the educational sector, reputation is everything. Without a solid reputation, schools cannot attract students or faculty. Research dollars are harder to find. At GreyCastle Security, we understand how overwhelming the NIST standard can be. That’s why we are ready to help you stay in compliance and protect your reputation.
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Ho Chin is Chief Financial Officer at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Ho leads Finance, HR, IT and Professional Development. As part of the executive leadership team, Ho works to establish the company’s overall strategy and ensure proper execution of the supporting initiatives pertaining to the above areas of responsibility.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Ho led finance and administrative functions at multiple private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies across multiple industries. Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michael Stamas is an entrepreneur, board member, Vice President and a founder of GreyCastle Security. With more than two decades of experience in the technology sector, Mike pairs his management and business development skills with a deep understanding of cybersecurity. Mike brings a unique brand of risk-based advising to GreyCastle clients and prospects.
Mike holds certifications in numerous security and technology related areas, including the Department of Homeland Security and other security technologies like Symantec, Cisco and Microsoft.
Mike plays an active role in his community and serves as a board member and Vice President of InfraGard Albany as well as an advisory board position with the Capital Region YMCA.
Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
Dan Kalil is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Chairman at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Dan provides vision, leadership and strategies that drive GreyCastle Security’s position as an industry leader. With an emphasis on customer success, Dan’s profitable growth model leverages a customer-centric business approach that balances employee wellbeing and social responsibility.
Prior to becoming CEO, Dan served as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which he supported multiple acquisitions and helped the organization achieve substantial sales growth. In addition to serving as CEO at GreyCastle Security, Dan continues to hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Assured information Security (AIS) in Rome, New York, a company he co-founded in 2001.
Over the course of the last 22 years, Dan has been committed to advancing the state of cybersecurity and has played an instrumental role in the identification and development of critical, next-generation cyber capabilities. He has held positions in almost every facet of cybersecurity, beginning as a computer forensic examiner and progressing through the management and executive leadership ranks. In addition to co-founding AIS, Dan has facilitated multiple cybersecurity startups, raised investment capital and has served in various lead and support roles toward the acquisition of five companies in the last eight years.
Dan has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in Utica, New York.
Dan Maynard serves as GreyCastle Security’s Chief Operating Officer, where he currently leads Sales, Marketing and Legal.
Dan has enjoyed a 30+ year career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry, during which time he has held various leadership positions for organizations such as Rochester Tel/RCI, Citizens Communications (Frontier), PAETEC Communications, IntegraOptics, tw telecom/Level3 and Centurylink.
In addition to various voice and data technology platforms, he possesses a strong background in leadership development, sales and marketing leadership, transformational leadership and strategic planning. Dan has a thirst for knowledge and as a committed lifelong learner, he encourages and supports professional development initiatives for his teams and continues his involvement with Vistage International.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
When not at work, Dan enjoys traveling, golfing, attending Utica Comets hockey games and relaxing in the Adirondacks on beautiful Canada Lake with family and friends.
Dan Didier is the Vice President of Solutions and board member at GreyCastle Security.
Dan has been a cybersecurity practitioner for more than 20 years and uses his knowledge and experience to develop cybersecurity solutions that ensure readiness and preparedness.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Our Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) have responded to hundreds of breaches, intrusions, malware infections, thefts, employee investigations, fraud cases and other incidents. Our highly-certified experts have extensive experience in command, coordination and correction of incidents in nearly every industry throughout North America, from local businesses to Fortune 500 international conglomerates.
800-403-8350Francesca LoPorto-Brandow is Director of Culture at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Francesca leads all social responsibility efforts and partnerships and develops effective strategies that promote organizational-wide behaviors and attitudes consistent with a culture of safety, inclusion, teamwork, motivation and high-performance.
Prior to this role, Francesca was Director of People & Culture at GreyCastle and with her leadership, the company’s culture has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Nationally recognized Best Workplace, Albany Business Review Best Places to Work and Albany Times Union Top Workplaces.
Before joining GreyCastle Security, Francesca worked as an OD consultant and focused on strategic culture change at The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. for more than six years. There, she facilitated client education sessions, coached leaders and teams, developed and executed consulting interventions and served as strategy project leader on various client engagements. Her work has taken her into Fortune 100 companies and across borders including Panama, Singapore and beyond.
Francesca is a Lean Six Sigma–certified Green Belt, a proud YWCA-GCR board member and in 2013, she coordinated and emceed the inaugural TEDx Troy—a livestream of TEDCity 2.0. Since 2012, she has coordinated and emceed the Troy 100 Forum, a biannual forum for government, religious and community leaders to discuss issues vital to the future of Troy, New York.
Bilingual in English and Italian, Francesca holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Technology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management & Technology. She was awarded Cybersecurity Recruiter of the year North America in 2017 by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
Jamie Aiello is Senior Vice President of Services and Product Management at GreyCastle Security. In this position, Jamie is responsible for leading a high performing and well-balanced team that is ultimately responsible for the identification, selection, execution and successful performance of our company’s diverse portfolio of cybersecurity offerings.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Jamie has held leadership positions with Annese and Associates, ConvergeOne and BlueSky IT Partners with a focus on delivering cost effective information technology solutions for companies across multiple verticals.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.
