Cybersecurity expert offers advice after LCCC ‘IT disruption’
Cybersecurity expert offers advice after LCCC ‘IT disruption’
Publish Date: 2026-03-27 07:02:00
Source Domain: www.mcall.com
Lehigh Carbon Community College has reopened its campuses but a reported “IT disruption” that started nearly a month ago — which a school trustee labeled a data breach — has continued to affect internet and phone systems, leaving students and staff with unanswered questions about how best to protect themselves.
Joseph Squillace, an associate professor in Penn State’s department of privacy and cybersecurity informatics, offered perspective on what makes educational institutions vulnerable to cyberattacks and how students and staff can protect themselves:
Why are schools vulnerable to cyberattacks?
College students are profitable targets for hackers, Squillace said. Young adult students tend to have “brand new clean credit reports” that mean hackers can take advantage of students’ personal data to take out loans, open credit cards or commit health insurance fraud.
It also should not be underestimated how much valuable research and development data can be accessed through community college systems.
While top-tier research institutions might appear to be more attractive targets for hackers seeking access to cutting edge technology and research data, community colleges also handle large amounts of state-sponsored research and tend to have lower IT budgets and fewer cybersecurity protections, Squillace said.
How can students and staff protect themselves?
Proactive “digital hygiene” is the key to protecting your data, even in the case of a system breach that might expose your personal information, Squillace said. Here are some tips:
• Don’t reuse passwords for multiple accounts. Consider a password manager — but be careful to research whether or not that application stores your passwords in the cloud, as those systems are also vulnerable to hackers. Password managers that store data on a users’ individual device are more secure.
• Change passwords as soon as possible when notified of a potential breach. Even if a students’ school…
