5 Key security features every online learning management system must have

Table of contents

1. Data Encryption
2. User Authentication
3. Acces controls
4. Digital Rights Management
5. Regular Security Updates

5 Important Security Features of Online Learning Management Systems

E-learning means everyone can access educational materials online. You merely have to enter your identification into the system. As many students use online payment, their personal and banking information are at risk.
Every online learning management system must have the following key features to ensure everyone who uses it can privately and securely navigate the platform:

1. Data Encryption

Data encryption is the process of translating data into another form or code that becomes incomprehensible to other parties. Only those with a decryption key or password can interpret the data.

It is a crucial feature in online management learning systems to keep clients’ personal information private. Malicious third parties cannot access sensitive data to use them in phishing activities and other cyber attacks.

According to a report, 81% of organizations experienced an increase in phishing attacks since March 2020. Hackers only need to obtain the email addresses of a few clients, and they can get down to business.
Robust data encryption ensures that cyber criminals can’t obtain any information from any system. However, this feature is not enough to ensure data privacy. This security feature must be complemented by others.

2. User Authentication

Passwords are online users first line of defense against cyber threats

Passwords are online users’ first line of defense against cyber threats. However, they don’t provide complete protection. Any online system, regardless of its nature, must leverage robust user authentication technology.

User authentication prevents unauthorized entities from gaining access to the LMS. With access, a hacker could easily copy e-learning content and sell it to competitors. Or they could sell the client's personal data. These threats could ruin the company’s reputation and financial standing.

Here are other user authentication methods to be implemented in addition to user name and password authentication:

Multi-Factor Authentication

According to Microsoft, 99.9% of cyber attacks could be prevented with multi-factor authentication. It is a security measure that requires two or more independent processes to verify a user’s account.
Common examples include:

• Unique codes sent to smartphones
• Captcha tests
• Fingerprints
• Facial recognition
• Voice biometrics
• Certificate-Based Authentication

Digital certificates are used to authenticate each login, which is a unique electronic document that serves as a person’s digital identification. It comprises a public key and digital signature.

Biometrics Authentication

Biometrics is an independent verification method that can be used in multi-factor authentication. It relies on a person’s unique characteristics, such as fingerprints, facial attributes, and voice. Biometrics is now among the most popular authentication processes because of its high level of security.

Token-Based Authentication

In this verification process, a user is given a token the first time they access the system. They must enter credentials to access this token, which comes as random characters.

3. Access Controls

Access controls in security involve managing access to an organization’s data and resources. It may seem like user authentication, but this is the difference: authentication verifies the account holder’s identity, while access control grants or denies access based on authentication.

Basically, access control is in the hands of the entity that runs the LMS. It is an essential component in web security as it ensures only those with the right to access the system can navigate it.

Authentication is vital to access control, but there must be other layers for data privacy and protection, such as:

• Authorization - an additional layer of security
• Management - the process of adding or removing access based on data presented
• Audit - analysis of user activity to determine if access should be granted

4. Digital Rights Management

Every online learning management system must have digital rights management to protect its media copyright. E-learning resources are expected to be unique to the company, so protecting them is paramount.

As the owner of the copyrighted materials, the company must control what paying clients can do with their resources. While users can download them for offline access, they cannot distribute them to others.

The following are just some ways in which digital rights management can limit access to proprietary resources:

• Users cannot edit or save content
• Users cannot share or forward resources
• Users cannot print content, or if they can, the number of copies is limited
• Users cannot screen-grab resources
• Some resources are only available to users for a limited time
• Content is only available in certain regions

5. Regular Security Updates

Security measures and tools must be updated regularly

Many companies think they are good to go once they have a cybersecurity strategy. However, implementing one static security plan will not work—these measures and tools must be updated regularly. Cybercriminals constantly adapt to new technologies, so online learning management systems must do the same to protect their assets.

A good rule of thumb is to reassess and update their security strategy at least once a year. While this sounds tedious, it is also worth remembering that protecting an LMS against cyber threats is critical to its long-term success.
It is also best to remind clients that security is their concern. They must do what they can to be safe, which includes using the best VPN services, avoiding public networks, and using strong passwords or passphrases.

Conclusion

LMS captures a large market from different industries as every participant looks to gain a competitive advantage against colleagues or competitors. But for online LMS providers, security is critical in protecting participants’ information and privacy. With key security features in place, your online management system will stay robust.

What privacy measures does Easy LMS take?

Easy LMS is a GDPR-compliant LMS. We have taken several measures to protect our users' data. We also regularly review these and make improvements where necessary. Our privacy officer monitors this closely.

Frequently Asked Questions