You see them in courthouses, sports arenas, and airports. People are accustomed to emptying their pockets, opening their bags, and passing through a metal detector when entering certain buildings. Inspecting all human traffic – and the items they carry – is a way to keep the facility and everyone inside it secure.
With the explosion of cyberattacks against higher-education institutions, it’s time for technology leaders to take a similar approach to cybersecurity. To keep the network secure, all digital traffic–including encrypted internet traffic–should be inspected before it is allowed onto the network.
Encrypted Traffic: The New Front Door
Encrypted internet traffic, known as hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), protects data as it is transferred from a web server to a browser using SSL or TLS encryption protocols. In the early days of the internet, HTTPS was used only for sensitive data. It is now the standard for transmitting data over the internet.
Encrypted data can be anything – a username and password, credit card number, student grades, research reports, etc. It can also be malware. A recent study found that over 85 percent of cyberattacks now use encrypted channels, with malware being the top form of attack.
As Area Vice President at Zscaler, Ian Milligan-Pate brings over a decade of leadership experience in software-as-a-service and cybersecurity to his current role. Previously, he was regional director of public sector sales, leading Zscaler’s team for state and local government and education.