2024 saw an escalation in cyber attacks on the critical Education Sector. Looking at overall numbers, cyber attacks are surging at an alarming rate, with organizations experiencing an average of 1,673 weekly attacks in 2024—a staggering 44% increase from the previous year, according to Check Point’s The State of Cyber Security 2025 report. Out of all sectors, the education sector has been hit hardest, suffering an alarming 75% year-over-year rise to 3,574 weekly attacks, as cyber criminals exploit the vast troves of personal data held by schools.

As we mark the International Day of Education on January 24th, it’s crucial to shine a spotlight on how vulnerable this sector is and, more importantly, how it can be protected. Here are the top 8 things you should know about cyber attacks on the education sector and actionable ways to prevent them.

  1. Education is a Prime Target for Cybercriminals

Educational institutions worldwide have become a hotbed for cyber crime, with a 75% year-over-year increase to 3,574 weekly attacks according to Check Point’s The State of Cyber Security 2025 report. Most of these attacks originate from email (68%), while 32% are web-delivered, often using malicious frameworks like FakeUpdates. Schools house vast amounts of sensitive data—from personal information of students and staff to financial and research data—making them attractive to attackers. In addition, with multiple parties needing to get connected to the particular educational institution for curriculum schedules, term holidays, online classes and move, the areas of intrusions simply increase. To exacerbate the situation, it is a known fact  that many educational institutions lack the resources to secure their systems adequately; some simply do not have the know-how or skilled resources to ensure defense measures are also up to date.

The recent data breach at PowerSchool software provider in the US, affected many districts in the US and other countries demonstrated the serious impact of such threats not just on cyber attack on schools but gaining access through 3rd party vendors, placed focus on the need for strong measures to safeguard students, educators, and families against malicious activities like identity theft.  While institutions work to strengthen their defenses, parents and educators must also adopt proactive strategies to protect their communities.

  1. The High Cost of Cyber Attacks on Schools

In 2023, ransomware attacks cost educational institutions much more than expected with median payments reaching $6.6 million for lower education and $4.4 million for higher education institutions according to a Sophos report. Despite these payments, recovery remains a significant challenge, with only 30% of victims fully recovering within a week, down from last year, as limited resources and teams hinder recovery efforts. These ransom payments severely impact the school’s reputation, forcing schools to cut corners in other areas, impacting the quality of education to their students. In some other cases, such ransomware cases have led to the closure of schools such as the 157 – year old Lincoln College, who were forced to shutter its doors after a ransomware attack locked down their systems and impacted their continued survival.

  1. Treasure Trove of Student and Faculty Data

Cyber attacks often lead to the theft of social security numbers or PII, financial aid details and even research data. Student data holds significant value on the dark web, where it can be sold to identity thieves or used for fraudulent activities such as applying for loans or credit cards. Sensitive information like social security numbers, birthdates, and even records of allergies or income can be exploited, with minors often unaware due to lack of credit monitoring, allowing criminals to accrue debts unnoticed.

Cyber criminals may also target schools by altering or deleting student records, causing operational chaos and reputational harm. A significant breach, such as the one experienced by the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2022, exposed the personal data of over 2,000 students and faculty, highlighting the real-world consequences of poor cyber security.

  1. Phishing Campaigns Are Rampant

Phishing attacks targeting teachers, students, and administrators continually increase year on year. According to Check Point Research, some 12,234 new domains created in the US were related to schools and education, marking a 9% increase YoY in July 2023. Among these, 1 in every 45 domains were found to be malicious or suspicious. These campaigns often impersonate trusted platforms like learning management systems or government grant agencies, tricking users into revealing their credentials or downloading malware.

Phishing attacks threaten schools by stealing sensitive data, disrupting operations, and causing significant financial losses through fraud or ransomware. They can also lead to legal penalties for non-compliance with data protection laws and damage trust among students, parents, and staff, harming the school’s reputation and long-term relationships and continued survival in the industry.

  1. Remote Learning: The Double-Edged Sword

When the world was impacted by COVID19, almost every single country’s education system was revamped with remote learning taking central priority. Many educational institutions were not ready for such a drastic move and had to quickly scale up to such a system, without implementing proper and secure services in that short period of time. Unfortunately, whilst remote learning has expanded access to education, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities, from poorly secured video conferencing tools, shared devices with minimal protection to even unsecured home networks which lack enterprise-level security measures.

This expanded education network also led to increased complexity, which cyber security measures failed to keep pace with, leaving these networks and users vulnerable. Even post-pandemic, schools and businesses continue to face challenges in maintaining proper cyber security practices, which should now be a point of focus for such institutions.

  1. Cyber Security Budgets Are Lagging

Whilst Moody’s Global Cyber Risk Insurer Survey reported that higher education institutions’ allocation of budget for cyber security has increased, this key group still lags interms of cyber spending as comparted to other sectors. The report highlighted that in 2023, the average budget allocation for higher education sector was only 7 percent on cyber security, below the global average spending of 8 percent, and way below the average of 10 percent for business organisations.

Unfortunately, cyber criminals know that many schools and universities lack the resources to defend themselves against their malicious activities properly and while these groups are aware that some schools will be unable to pay ransoms for access to compromised systems, they are banking on stealing the stored personal data that can be valuable to cyber criminals wishing to perform identity theft or sell sensitive information on the dark web. As a result, this chronic underinvestment leaves schools ill-equipped to defend against sophisticated and evolving cyber attacks, creating a vicious cycle of vulnerability.

  1. AI-Powered Attacks Are on the Rise

This past year, the industry has been rife with discussions on AI for Good and AI for Bad – cyberattackers are increasingly leveraging AI tools to craft convincing phishing emails that steals sensitive data and deepfakes impersonating educators to deceive staff or students. Additionally, malicious actors can manipulate AI-based chatbots and online tools to distribute malware or harvest user information, posing significant risks to the education sector. With institutions heavily reliant on online tools and often underprepared for such advanced threats, the danger of AI-powered cyber attacks continues to grow, as highlighted by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.

The ability to use AI in malicious purposes have enabled cyber attacks to automate attacks at scale and even identify and exploit weak points in networks. AI has made cyber attacks faster, smarter, and harder to detect, posing an evolving threat to underprepared institutions.

  1. Prevention Is Possible (With the Right Steps)

While the challenges are significant, educational institutions can take proactive steps to enhance their cyber security:

  • Freeze Credit Reports : Secure your identity by placing a freeze on students’ credit reports with major credit bureaus.
  • Adopt Strong Password Practices : Use strong, unique passwords for every account and simplify management with a password manager.
  • Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) : Enforce multi-factor authentication across all educational systems for that extra layer of protection.
  • Educate on Phishing and Social Engineering : Teach students and staff how to recognize and avoid phishing scams and suspicious links and conduct mandatory cyber security awareness training for both to reduce human errors.
  • Install Endpoint Security : Protect devices with enterprise-grade endpoint security solutions to defend against malware and unauthorized access.
  • Keep Your Software Updated and Patched : Regularly update all software to patch vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of exploitation.
  • Stay Informed About Cyber Security
    Stay updated on new threats and best practices, and share this knowledge to build a security-conscious culture.
  • Secure Backups : Store backups offline and test recovery procedures frequently.
  • Invest in AI Tools : Deploy AI-powered security solutions for real-time threat detection and proactive defense.

Aaron Rose, Office of the CTO at Check Point said, “Education is the foundation of our future, but without cyber security, it’s a castle built on sand. Protecting our schools and institutions from cyber threats is not just a technical challenge—it’s a shared responsibility among families, educators, and technology vendors. By adopting proactive measures like multi-factor authentication, staying

informed about emerging risks, and embracing advanced AI-driven security solutions, we can minimize vulnerabilities, reduce risks, and ensure that educational institutions remain safe havens for learning, growth, and innovation, both today and in the future.”

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