MCC Enhances Cybersecurity Systems in Response to the Pandemic

As Middlesex Community College runs most of its courses and student services online for the Fall 2020 semester, the college strives to keep all students, faculty and staff safe while working remotely and in-person. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and MCC’s Office of Information Technology (IT) is continuing to enhance its systems in order to support Middlesex and all it does to help students succeed.

Cybersecurity promotes healthy online practices and protects against attacks, such as spam, viruses, disruption of systems and theft of identities, data and other sensitive information. Dr. Davis Mirilla, MCC’s Information Security Officer, spearheads the college’s protection plan against outside cybercriminals.

At MCC, Mirilla reviews, develops and implements information security tools and controls, such as emails, anti-malware and log/monitoring. This increases the protection and reduction of the overall risks associated with the college’s data and network infrastructure.

While the pandemic presents unforeseen challenges and conditions – including the increase of remote work across the country – Middlesex was quick to react to these new circumstances, according to Mirilla.

“We reviewed our remote access process and enhanced the security,” he said. “In addition, we have deployed additional layers of security on our email system.”

The department has seen an increase in cyberattacks against colleges, but Mirilla believes MCC is taking an equally aggressive approach to combat the attacks. Over the summer, IT was provided a security risk report that listed goals for them to improve their systems. In the last few months, the department has been able to increase its rating and meet its near term goals, including moving beyond an ad-hoc or reactionary approach to build formal, defined steps. The goal is to reach the Efficient level where the college is focused on continuous improvement and is built to pivot and respond to opportunity and change.

“We have made incredible progress,” Mirilla said. “Currently, we are doing better than most community colleges in terms of a typical cybersecurity peer comparison.”

Mirilla believes it is important for the community to understand their role in cybersecurity, including practicing healthy habits that will protect against attacks. Students and employees should limit the amount of information they put out on social media and be wary of emails that come from unknown sources or include suspicious attachments.

He also encourages students to take IT and cybersecurity courses during their time at Middlesex. Students can learn valuable knowledge and skills in these courses in a field that has a strong job market. Mirilla is also interested in collaborating with faculty to develop an internship and professional development opportunities for MCC students.

Though COVID-19 has delayed this initiative, Mirilla believes that when it is up and running, it will set MCC students apart from graduates from other colleges.

“They will be ready to fit into the security operations center of their new employers from day one,” he said. “We have the best of breed security tools and these are the same used by employers. We plan to not only continually improve on the overall protection of our environment, but open up the security infrastructure to students to give them an edge.”

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/technologycenter/ for more information on MCC’s cybersecurity process and Technology Center. For 24/7 help, contact servicedesk@middlesex.mass.edu or call 978-656-3301.

There is still time to register for MCC’s Mini-mester II – an accelerated, eight-week session that starts November 2. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434 for more information.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!