lms security

LMS & LMS Security

LMS Security: Protecting training course material from sharing

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Why existing LMS security is a failure

Passwords & access controls are not enough to protect sensitive training material

Corporate training materials can often contain sensitive information that you do not want to be made available to unauthorized personnel or third parties.

Existing LMS systems rely on users logging in to a portal for security, but login details (credentials) can be easily shared.  This defeats the purpose of ensuring only those specifically authorized can access sensitive training materials.  This is certainly the case where you need to give third parties access (say a trading partner) and you have no real control over who is viewing your sensitive training material.

So it is clear that login credentials (username and password) is not adequate protection for a LMS containing sensitive training materials.  Not to mention the additional overhead of LDAP or SAML integration to allow for SSO to keep password management down.

Apart from a weak access security mechanism, a LMS generally has poor user permissions (ability to allow/deny users to perform certain actions) that are limited to editing, deleting, and creating courses.  But what about stopping users grabbing high-quality screenshots, copying/pasting content into other applications, and printing it to file drivers (i.e. a PDF file).  Then of course there is the issue of automatic expiry.  A typical LMS lets you manually revoke user access to training material and that is it.

Cloud Hosted Learning Management Systems

Some cloud LMS let you restrict user registration to specific domains, but not future access.  They do not control the number of devices (or what devices) users can access training courses from or restrict access to locations.  This therefore does not help when trying to prevent sharing.  They also have additional security weaknesses:

  1. You have to upload unprotected content (your sensitive training courses) to a cloud server outside your control
  2. They do not encrypt training courses.  Instead they rely on access controls to prevent unauthorized access
  3. Content must remain within the LMS for it to be ‘protected’
  4. Content is accessed via a browser.  Since browsers cache content locally, users can access temporary files outside the LMS which they have full control over
  5. They do not prevent screen grabbing or printing, or printing to file drivers (e.g. PDF and other virtual printers)

In addition, they:

  1. Force you to use their system rather than your own LMS
  2. Users must always be online to access training courses

Why Locklizard for LMS security & training course copy protection?

Locklizard provides a stronger alternative to passwords & access controls – enforce access and control use

  • No Passwords

    There are no passwords or codes for users to enter so they cannot be shared.  Keys are transparently and securely transferred to authorized devices and locked to those devices.

    Users cannot therefore share access information, and therefore your sensitive training courses with others.

  • Secure Distribution

    Full control over training course distribution:

    • Protect training courses on your local computerno uploading of unprotected files to a server.  You therefore retain full control over sensitive training material and ensure it can never be exposed to the wrong people.
    • Distribute secure training courses just like any other file – upload them to your LMS, a cloud server, your web site, send by email or distribute on CD, USB, etc.

    Training courses are protected with encryption and DRM controls so they remain secure outside of your LMS system regardless of where they are located.  This enables you to securely share training courses with third parties without them having to log in to your LMS.

  • DRM Controls

    DRM controls ensure training courses & training course content cannot be copied or shared – you retain full control over access and use at all times.

    • Stop screen grabbing – stops users taking high quality screen grabs using screen grabbing tools
    • Stop printing (or limit the number of prints).  If printing is allowed then we automatically prevent printing to file drivers (e.g. PDF files)
    • Expire training courses after a number of days use, views, prints, or on a fixed date
    • Revoke training courses and/or user access instantly regardless of where they are located
    • Allow offline use – no forcing of users to be online to view protected training courses
  • Device & location locking

    Control the devices and locations your protected training courses can be accessed from.

    • Automatically locks use to authorized devices to prevent sharing.
    • Control the number of devices for each user that your protected courses can be used on.
    • Lock use to locations to control where your protected courses can be used from (e.g. office only).  This enables you to easily control BYOD use since courses on a mobile device will be available for use in the office but not when taken home.
    • Lock use to countries to prevent training course content being made available in certain worldwide regions.
  • Dynamic Watermarks

    Add dynamic watermarks to viewed and/or printed content.  Dynamic variables are replaced by user data at print/view time.

    You only have to protect a training course once for all users rather than having to protect training courses individually for each user in order to display unique user information (name, email, etc.) that identifies the user.

  • Log Use

    Track how your training courses are being used.

    • See what users are opening them and when
    • See where they are being used and how often they are being viewed
    • Track print usage – how often they are printed, when and where
    • Track use regardless of where they are stored or who they are sent to
  • Zero installation USB Viewer

    Training courses can be published securely in advance on USB devices (courses are locked to the USB device) along with a Viewer and keystore.

    You can grant access to all or individual courses at any stage depending on your requirements.  This enables you to publish whole volumes of training courses on a USB stick but only give access to certain courses to specific users as appropriate.

  • Simple to use

    Our LMS security software is simple to use – secure training courses by right clicking on them in Windows Explorer.

    Add protected training courses to your existing LMS just like any other file.

    Manage users and course access via our web-based administration system.

    Automate training course protection with command line encryption, and user management & access with our API tools.  No manual intervention is required.

Locklizard LMS Security Integration

Protecting sensitive training material from unauthorized access and use

Locklizard integrates with your existing LMS, providing a LMS security system that allows the trainer to group together a series of protected documents as a single course, and deliver the authorization to them as a single step.  This allows Learning Management System managers a simple and effective delivery of their offerings to their users in a secure manner.

Locklizard protected PDF files integrate into any LMS system just like any other file.

Locklizard protected PDF files remain secure both inside or outside your LMS – your LMS is just used as a repository rather than for access and content control.

  Total LMS Security & Training Course Copy Protection

Locklizard takes protection of your sensitive training course material seriously.  Share training courses securely without insecure passwords or plug-ins, and enforce access, location, expiry, and usage controls.

Our DRM technology ensures training courses remain safe no matter where they reside (inside or outside the LMS) with US Gov Strength encryption, licensing, and DRM controls.  Protected content is decrypted in memory and no temporary files are used.

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