In today’s cybercrime landscape, it’s essential for the education sector to have airtight defences, safeguarding both students and staff.
When the IT Manager of the UK-based university College of West Anglia wanted to install browser protection across all devices, one of our vendors, Conceal, was the perfect solution.
Who is Conceal?
Conceal provides businesses with the latest browser protection against ransomware and credential theft.
Their browser extension, ConcealBrowse, converts any browser into a secure, zero-trust browser, allowing users to browse the internet with an added layer of protection. When users access a browser, ConcealBrowse automatically activates, providing security at the browser edge and flagging suspicious sites, emails, or activity.
What was the challenge?
The university had grown increasingly concerned about phishing cybercrime and the threat of credential theft. With 2000 students and 700 staff using a mix of school and personal devices, it was aware it could be at high risk of a threat slipping through the net.
Having already invested in a Cyber Essentials self-assessment, they were looking to bolster their defences further by introducing browser protection.
The staff were put through multiple phishing simulations, and the results were hard-hitting. Many staff members entered their usernames and passwords into unsafe browser activity, raising concerns that pupils might fall victim to phishing scams and other social engineering.
What was the solution?
We set the university up with a two-week trial. ConcealBrowse was initially deployed across 700 devices through Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM), successfully raising zero support tickets.
Following the success of the initial deployment, ConcealBrowse was installed on the remaining 2000 devices, and the extension became a requirement for any personal devices connecting to university resources. As soon as any network user opened either of the approved browsers, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, ConcealBrowse protection kicked in.
Over six weeks, the entire deployment and onboarding process was efficient and seamless. Here are the key findings:
The findings
- From November 2023 to February 2024, there were 609 isolations.
- Conceal detected 245 unique URLs with a risk score of over 14%, preventing them from delivering malicious files or stealing credentials through counterfeit login screens.
- ConcealBrowse flagged twenty-seven unique sites, including file-sharing, file conversion and video streamlining sites, as suspicious – something other security solutions could not always identify as malicious, which posed an increased risk to the users.
The benefits to the College of West Anglia
Quick onboarding
A quick, multi-device onboarding provided the university with instant protection.
Seamless deployment
Easy user experience, no training requirements and zero support tickets raised.
Additional protection
Added protection against credential theft and cybercrime, capturing risk at the browser edge where phishing is common.
Peace of mind
Widespread protection provides users with an extra layer of security. Browsers are an easy-in for cybercriminals, but ConcealBrowse protects all devices using a shared network.
Outperforms other security solutions
ConcealBrowse flags suspicious sites and activity that other cybersecurity products could not identify.
Promotes cyber awareness
ConcealBrowse blocks suspicious sites and alerts users to web activity that poses a threat, helping the university create a culture of awareness.
Our cybersecurity support
Here at Brigantia, our dedication to quality, knowledge and partnership means we source innovative cybersecurity products that provide a robust cybersecurity offering for MSPs.
Not only do we provide unrivalled support to our MSP partners, but we also build strong relationships with our vendors. As the distribution partner for Conceal, we were proud to see ConcealBrowse's success and how it met the university's challenges and needs. Find out more about how browser protection is essential for all businesses.
Discover more about Conceal here, or get in touch to talk to our team.
