Blog Post
Stay Aware, Stay Secure: Safeguarding Campus Communities During Cybersecurity Awareness Month
October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time for campuses across the nation to pause, reflect, and take action to protect data, people, and systems. In higher education, cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue. It’s a shared responsibility that touches students, staff, and the broader campus community.
The State of Cybersecurity in Higher Education
Cyberattacks targeting colleges and universities are rising in both volume and sophistication. According to EDUCAUSE’s Hotline: Cybersecurity and Privacy (September 2025), ransomware, phishing, and social engineering remain the most common threats, with higher education among the top industries affected by data breaches.
In 2024 alone, 1.2 million fraudulent FAFSA applications were reported, resulting in $13 million disbursed to “ghost students.” State systems across California, Texas, and Nevada also reported multi-million-dollar losses—reminding institutions that ransomware prevention, compliance, and student data protection are no longer optional.
To stay ahead, higher education leaders are increasingly aligning with NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework, adopting Zero Trust Architecture principles, and ensuring PCI DSS 4.0 compliance across all payment systems.
Campus Payment Security Compliance and Fraud Prevention
At Nelnet Campus Commerce, protecting student financial data is central to our mission. As a PCI DSS Level 1–compliant provider, we partner with institutions to secure every transaction and ensure campus payment security compliance from start to finish.
Our Refunds solution helps detect and prevent fraudulent activity through:
- Account validation and MFA: Verification via email and text reduces risk of account compromise.
- Duplicate account detection: Refunds automatically flag duplicate or suspicious accounts for institutional review.
- Daily compliance reviews: Every refund file is reviewed by Nelnet’s compliance team, ensuring third-party vendor risk management and system integrity.
- Rapid response: Schools can engage our team immediately for suspected account breaches, ensuring fast, coordinated response
Cybersecurity Awareness Training for Staff and Students
Technology alone isn’t enough—people are the first line of defense. Cybersecurity awareness training for staff and students empowers everyone on campus to recognize threats and take proactive steps to prevent them.
Key takeaways for your campus community:
- Keep it updated: Outdated software is a hacker’s gateway. Enable automatic updates for all devices.
- Use strong passwords and MFA: Multi-factor authentication significantly reduces risk.
- Recognize phishing and social engineering: Question unexpected links or attachments, even if they appear legitimate.
- Protect personal devices: Encryption and regular updates help secure personal devices used for work or study.
Building a Zero Trust Culture in Higher Education
Cybersecurity isn’t just about technology—it’s about culture. Institutions that embed Zero Trust Architecture principles (“never trust, always verify”) foster shared accountability across departments.
By combining governance and training with technical frameworks like NIST, universities can transform reactive defense into proactive cyber resilience. The goal is simple: ensure the right people have the right access to the right data—nothing more, nothing less.
As EDUCAUSE highlights, cultivating cyber awareness and compliance enhances student confidence, institutional reputation, and operational continuity.
Partnering for a Safer Digital Campus
Protecting sensitive data requires collaboration between students, administrators, IT professionals, and trusted partners. Nelnet Campus Commerce works closely with institutions to meet the demands of PCI DSS 4.0 compliance, payment system integrity, and student data privacy.
Together, we can build a digital campus that’s resilient, compliant, and secure—one transaction at a time.
Learn More
Watch this: Protecting Your Campus from Fraud: A Nelnet Campus Commerce Webinar
Explore Nelnet’s secure payment and refund solutions now.
Author: Nelnet Campus Commerce
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