Eureka! Institutional Repository

E-learning systems have been a key choice of educational institutions to continue the learning process during the COVID-19 quarantine period, as most schools and colleges have implemented online courses to curb the spread of the virus. However, the immediate need to implement an e-learning platform resulted in security issues not receiving due attention. Instead, cyberattacks have become more common since the emergence of COVID-19, as the data collected and stored by platforms attracts malicious attackers. The purpose of this master's thesis is the comparative evaluation of distance education systems from the perspective of security. In particular, security issues, vulnerabilities and potential cyber attacks that have been identified due to the use of the most popular e-learning systems (eg Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Moolde and Blackboard) are examined. First, the typical security issues and types of attacks and vulnerabilities observed in e-learning systems and the possible problems that arise are presented. The classification of the most common web application vulnerabilities provided by the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) was used to categorize the attacks. This was followed by the comparative analysis of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning systems according to the CVE Details vulnerability database. Risk mitigation strategies are also proposed to improve security, while at the same time advice is given to users of the systems for safe use of e-learning systems. Finally, the best practices for security in videoconferencing systems are