DMARC protection for the education sector

The rise of digital learning and data-rich environments in the education sector has made it increasingly vulnerable to cyberthreats with educational institutions like yours lacking sufficient cybersecurity to protect the valuable information you hold.

 

DMARC mitigates these risks by preventing misuse of your educational institution’s email domain in email-based cyberattacks like impersonation and phishing, effectively protecting staff, students, and alumni data while enhancing security across the educational community.

Why the education sector needs DMARC

Your educational institution is high on the cybercriminal hit list because of a unique combination of challenges that make you an easy target, these could include:

As an educational institution, you store and handle loads of personal and financial information as well as other valuable data including private research and intellectual property of staff and students. If breached, this type of data can cause serious harm to your institution, and/or the individuals involved.

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Your institution must take action to protect itself and its stakeholders against the potentially devastating effects of a successful attack. These effects can include:  

DMARC reduces these risks by ensuring that only real emails from your institution’s domain reach inboxes, securing sensitive data and communications from email-based attacks. Your school, college or university can rely on DMARC to safeguard all internal and external email recipients, mitigating increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats.  

Rising risks: The education sector’s 
struggle against cybercrime

Cybercriminals want access to your educational institution’s treasure trove of data. Without DMARC protection, your institution and its stakeholders are vulnerable to cybercrooks aiming to steal valuable information.  

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Phishing is the

#1 cyberthreat 

Phishing attacks are the most common form of attack in the education sector, followed by impersonation and diverse malware strains 

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$53 Billion lost in downtime 
due to ransomware 

From 2018 to September 2023, schools around the globe lost a shocking $53 billion in downtime costs from ransomware attacks 

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70% Increase in cyberattacks
 last year 

Cyberattacks on higher education institutions increased by 70% in 2023, mainly driven by ransomware groups 

Sources: Security Magazine, Forbes, EdTech Magazine  

How DMARC with Sendmarc benefits your educational institution

Sendmarc offers seamless DMARC implementation, management, and monitoring that can be tailored to your educational institution’s needs, no matter its size. Some benefits include:  

Boosted reputation  

DMARC helps stop cybercriminals from using your domain to send unauthorized emails. This protects your institution’s reputation and builds trust with students, parents, and the broader community. 

Zero business disruption  

Your email flow won’t be affected during implementation, and business can continue as usual ensuring communications with students and parents remain uninterrupted.  

Strengthened email security 

Sendmarc’s consolidated and enriched reporting data on your email ecosystem will help your institution identify patterns and potential threats, as well as provide actionable insights for improved email security. 

Enhanced email deliverability  

DMARC ensures that legitimate emails from your domain reach the intended inbox, not Spam folders, ensuring the smooth flow of essential information between educators, students, and parents. 

Increased compliance

Implementing DMARC automatically improves your institution’s compliance with industry standards and regulations including the FERPA, GDPR, HIPAA, POPIA, Google and Yahoo, the PCI DSS, and the NIST.  

Check if your educational institution needs DMARC in one click

See how exposed your institution is to email-based cyberattacks. Simply enter your email address below. It only takes a few seconds.   

If you’re at risk of impersonation, one of our experts will be in touch to assist.