The cyber-attacks mentioned above are only a few of many. In the case of virtual exams, the ones below are significant.
Denial of Service (DoS)
A DoS attack prevents users from accessing a website, machine or network by flooding the target network with traffic. With virtual exams, this means subsequent cancellation of tests, hampering future admissions or career progression.
Phishing
When the attacker sends fraudulent communication appearing to come from a reputable source, the process is called phishing. The end objective is to steal sensitive user data or install malware that further extracts information from the victim’s device.
Password
In this type, an unauthorized user tries to gain access to data by cracking an authenticated user’s password. A password attack could lead to data loss or even selling personal information on the internet.
SQL Injection
Cyber attackers inject SQL and gain access to data. They add, modify, or delete records in databases using this injection. Test-takers could suddenly find their profile information tampered with and sensitive details, such as credit card numbers, compromised.
Lack of Data Security affects Virtual Exams
The growth in e-learning has improved education and virtual exam technologies. Although, there are still a few drawbacks and kinks to sort through.
Firstly, data protection (at the center of data security) is an ongoing concern. The Edtech industry turns out large chunks of data. But very few players have solid data protection facilities in place. Secure collection and storage of information generated in virtual exams is still a challenge.
The technology industry is experiencing a shortage of finance and staffing to oversee data security, complicating the security situation. Also, there’s no particular set of regulatory guidelines for dealing with data security issues.
A hack plagued a popular Edtech platform in 2020, with data of over 22 million accounts breached. And this wasn’t an isolated incident.
Cyber attacks are hitting universities and Edtech platforms globally. Compromised data is leaked or sold to unethical advertisers and scammers. But there are limited ways of tracking these transactions and penalizing them.
How can Edtech secure data in Virtual Exams?
Education technologies are putting more security measures in place despite the lingering problems. Being a secure virtual exam solution, we at ExamOnline know what measures are needed for excellent data protection.
They’re as below:
Authentication
Users logging in for an exam create an account and authenticate themselves through other sources, such as a One Time Password (OTP) or biometric login.
Different users have different levels of access to the backend. For instance, one exam-taker can’t access the test results of others. But an examiner can view all results. Similarly, examiners can’t see the names and passwords of examinees. But only the IT executive in charge will see those.
Encryption
Virtual exam technologies now come with provisions to encrypt data. Through encryption, only authorized parties can decrypt the data. It protects sensitive information about examinees, including financial data, addresses, and more.
Audits
Data can be collected and stored securely, but security features need regular upgrades. During these upgrades, IT experts check and audit existing data to find if it’s susceptible to a cyber attack. ExamOnline conducts systematic audits at Test Centers to detect inconsistencies and rectify them.
Infrastructure
Virtual exams deploy robust digital infrastructure with built-in security features, protected and secure from external forces. Besides digital, organizations invest in strong physical resources to support and automate data. Moreover, they’re employing IT experts to overlook the functioning of virtual exam infrastructure.
At ExamOnline, we’re ISO 27001 certified software and have invested in people, processes and technology for solid data protection.
Legal Frameworks
Several countries worldwide are adopting legal frameworks to restrict harmful parties from attacking the Edtech network.
Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was a landmark act pushing other countries to follow similar data protection measures. India recently introduced the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill in 2019 to tighten laws around data protection across internet-based organizations in India.
Cloud-based Solutions
The Cloud delivers a host of solutions simplifying the virtual exam process. It’s also beneficial for institutions that cannot invest in extensive physical infrastructure.
A cloud software of the highest standard should have:
- Protection against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
- Secure browser technology
- Remote and live proctoring for limiting cheating attempts
- Disabled special function keys so students can’t switch tabs
- Encrypted question bank and answer sheets
- Biometric authentication
- Extensive audits of test centers for maintaining security standards
ExamOnline is a comprehensive solution providing all of the above features to protect data in virtual exams.
Wrapping it up
Edtech is an ever-growing industry that picked up pace extensively during the pandemic. Moving forward, it’s vital to connect institutions with test-takers across the world.