Cyberattacks on schools surged 35% last year, and with average weekly incidents now in the thousands, K-12 districts and universities alike are under siege. The problem? Many schools and institutions of higher education aren’t equipped to defend against today’s sophisticated threats, and attackers know it.
Here’s why schools are such high-value targets for cybercrime and what IT leaders can do to strengthen their defenses as part of their risk management strategy.
What Makes Schools Attractive Targets to Hackers?
Educational institutions are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because they store a gold mine of sensitive information. If a hacker can access an educational database, they can get personal information, such as social security numbers, names, birth dates, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and a variety of demographic information. Non-personal data, such as funding information and sensitive research data, can also be extremely valuable.
Related Article: What is Quishing and How Can Schools Defend Against it?
But it’s not just what schools have. It’s also what they lack. Many campuses still rely on outdated hardware and legacy software systems that were never built to handle today’s threat landscape. Others prioritize flashy tech programs to attract students while neglecting to protect their network infrastructure. If cyber resilience isn’t a key part of a school’s risk and threat management strategy, they will continue to be an easy target for cybercriminals.
Hackers also know that educational institutions are among the most likely to pay up if they’re able to penetrate with a ransomware attack. In fact, the median ransom payment for universities and colleges over the past year was $4.4 million. Most of that money ends up being taxpayer dollars, too, especially if it’s a state institution.
Watch Out for These Red Flags and Common Cybercrime Threats
In 2024, the education sector got hit with an average of 3,574 weekly attacks, a rise of over 75% year over year from 2023. These aren’t simple email scams anymore. They’re sophisticated, AI-powered schemes targeting every weak link in the system. Common threats include:
- Vishing (Voice Phishing): Phone scams are often designed to catch staff off guard, pushing them to act before thinking and give up sensitive information.
- Smishing (SMS Phishing): A single click on a fake link in a text message can install malware that compromises entire networks. About 75% of organizations experienced smishing attacksin 2023.
- Sophisticated Email Phishing: Forget the obvious fakes from the past. Thanks to generative AI, phishing emails can now appear much more professional and convincing.
- Suspicious Login Activity: With more remote learning and digital access points, unusual login locations, times or frequency can all raise red flags.
8 Essential Cybersecurity Defense Strategies for Educational Institutions
There’s no one-size-fits-all fix, but there are critical actions every institution should take to harden their defenses:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security to every login.
- Follow the NIST Framework: Use the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s guidelines to evaluate and strengthen security infrastructure.
- Prioritize Endpoint Protection: With students and staff logging in from all over, each device is a potential attack surface.
- Patch and Update Regularly: Even the best systems are vulnerable without consistent updates.
- Adopt Zero-Trust Architecture: Assume no device or user is trustworthy by default. Only grant access as needed.
- Prepare for the Worst: Have a clear, well-rehearsed disaster recovery plan in place before an incident occurs.
- Train Everyone: Cybersecurity is everyone’s job – from the IT team to the front desk.
- Simplify Your Documentation: Keep documentation updated, accessible and encrypted.
In high-stress situations like a cyberattack, complex technical jargon can create confusion. That’s why recovery documentation should be written at a fifth grade reading level and laid out with clear, step-by-step instructions.
Related Article: Ransomware Landscape Shifts as Attackers Target New Victims
It’s also best to maintain multiple backups across different types of media and locations, whether in the cloud, off-site or as dictated by institutional policy. Without clear documentation and reliable backups, recovery efforts can quickly become chaotic.
Schools and Universities Must Stay Vigilant
As campuses are now filled with students, cybercriminals are just as active. With threats growing more frequent and sophisticated, cybersecurity must be treated as an essential part of school preparedness.
It’s not just an IT concern – it’s about protecting the entire campus community. Just like fire drills and lesson plans, cyber defense belongs on every institution’s back-to-school checklist.
An information technology professional, speaker, trainer and academic director, Russ Munisteri, CISSP, is committed to fostering positive interpersonal and intercultural communication within the classroom and IT business environments. Russ is the director of education at MyComputerCareer, an accredited online and in-campus technical college.
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
