Information Security & Confidentiality of Students Records

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Heading/Introduction

The purpose of this article is to help identify and address some guidelines that are relevant to information security and the need to keep students records confidential. There are several policies from different sources that talks about confidentiality in the arena of information security - however, sometimes those articles forgets to address the issue from it core. Most of data breaches happens from the fundamental data sources like Universities, Colleges, and other Institutions where students and non-students entrust their personal and sensitive information but due to low level of information security measures, unauthorized users breach into the system and steal students records. The question is how safe are those institutions and what form of information security mechanism are they implementing to safeguard those sensitive information.

Purpose

This article is intended to focus on the need to ensure adequate degree of Confidentiality regarding students records. There are a lot of students’ data that are been gathered and retain at various Universities for designated periods of time. It is paramount that Institutions recognizes the privacy rights of students and other individuals’ information that is been gathered from both state and private data sources and implement the best information security methodologies to harden their infrastructure against breaches. Confidentiality is one of the information security modules that deals with the mechanism to ensure proper safety to information about personal and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). In the United State and across the Globe, Some of the student information Universities and other Institutions constantly posses and have to ensure that is securely confidential includes, (U.S Department of HHS, 2006):

● Name and Social security ● Address ● Telephone number ● Class level ● Major ● Student activities including athletics ● Weight/height ● Dates of attendance ● Enrollment status ● Date of graduation ● Degrees and awards received and where received ● Most recent educational institution attended

Accountability and Remedy

Institutions has to ensure the best protection of information and other sensitive data regarding students record from external and internal breaches, damages while also preserving information-sharing requirements of its academic culture. Information security is a broad area and when dealing with students records which keeps changing constantly, it becomes the top priority for Institutions to invest more into ensure that, it is confidential and safe.

This responsibility is also applicable to the students, faculty, and staff who have been granted the access to use University resources. Every user been granted information resources has a general responsibility to protect those assets, and ensure adequate confidentiality mechanism. Failure to protect the Students information and assets could have financial, legal, and ethical ramifications. Universities should acknowledges its obligation to ensure appropriate security for Student information in its domain of ownership and control.

Furthermore, Institutions should recognize its responsibility to promote security awareness among students, staff, and professors. This helps establishes the general principles of information security that has to be applied throughout every Institutions and Universities. When this is done it establishes an environment to express purpose of facilitating the student's educational development.

Reference

AD11 University Policy on Confidentiality of Student Records https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad11

STUDENT RECORDS PRIVACY STATEMENT & SECURITY PLAN Rosetta Stone Ltd https://resources.rosettastone.com/CDN/us/pdfs/Student_Records_Privacy_Statement.pdf

Information Security & Confidentiality of Students Records

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