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Cyber security awareness and capability continue to grow across the sector

Cyber security awareness and capability continue to grow across the sector

Last updated 25 June 2024
Last updated 25 June 2024

After 18 months, the Cyber Security for the Tertiary Sector (CSTS) initiative closes on Thursday 27 June. CSTS made significant progress over this time and realised its goal of boosting cyber security awareness and capability in tertiary education organisations, big and small.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) led CSTS with support from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and Ministry of Education.

Through CSTS:  

  • 200 private training establishments (PTEs) and wānanga will benefit from fully funded e-learning for the next three years, helping their staff to detect and learn the signs of scams. 
  • 50+ tertiary education organisations (TEOs) completed a fully funded cyber security assessment, resulting in the TEOs getting a clear picture of their cyber security maturity and what actions to take to become more secure.
  • Hundreds of TEOs attended cyber security webinars, learning about everything from what makes a good or bad password to what data to protect.
  • TEOs have access to clear guidance on what to do to increase their cyber security with cyber security controls. These are actions (related to people, process and technology) that can dramatically boost security posture with a small amount of effort.
  • Phishing response guidance is available to guide PTEs through what they need to do before, during and after a phishing scam, with a particular focus on preparedness. 
  • TEOs can access a standardised model for SOC/SIEM (Security Operations Centre/Security Information and Event Management) implementation.  
  • Free educational resources, including a newsletter, continued to grow in popularity month on month. 

TEOs responded enthusiastically to CSTS opportunities and, when surveyed recently, gave positive feedback about the initiative. About 80 percent said CSTS is useful to build their organisation’s understanding of cyber security risks, and 74 percent said they’re now taking steps to improve their cyber security protection because of the tools and education provided by CSTS.

The valuable suite of educational resources remains available for TEOs to refer back to and share with new staff as they continue their journey of building security across their organisations.

Improving cyber security in the tertiary sector