AI and Education: How to ensure the digital security of an individual’s data

financialexpress.com:

By John Kallelil

Education and the learning system have undergone a myriad of changes in the last few years. The reliance on technology has surged, and the institutions have adopted several new pedagogy methods to cater to the changing needs of the learners. With online and hybrid learning gaining prevalence, institutes have been storing and transmitting massive amounts of sensitive data. This data has been successfully leveraged with the help of AI to provide personalised learning experiences, adaptive learning platforms, virtual tutoring, and more. However, with this digital transformation, there is a need to protect individual data, owing to rising concerns about cyberattacks.

According to a report by CheckPoint, India faced 2108 weekly attacks in 2022, and the education sector was the most targeted by hackers. With several cybersecurity threats looming, it has become crucial to take significant steps to ensure the digital security of an individual’s data. However, before addressing the solutions, let us look at some of the cybersecurity threats that are commonly faced by individuals.

Cyber threats plaguing the education sector

Data breaches: Institutions have a lot of private information about students, faculty, staff, and other parties. These may include their financial information, academic and medical data, contact details, and more. One of the most frequent cyber occurrences is a data breach, which is the unauthorised access to these data.

Phishing: In a phishing attack, hackers take advantage of individuals in a bid to deceive them into divulging personal data, such as passwords. Phishing usually takes place via social media or email messaging.

Ransomware: It is a kind of malicious software that finds