Technology is transforming the classroom, but it’s also turning colleges and universities into a favorite target for cybercriminals. In 2024 alone, the education sector weathered an average of 3,574 cyberattacks per week, a staggering 75% increase from the previous year.
The start of a new school year is the perfect time for administrators and IT teams to assess their cybersecurity readiness. Knowing why schools are high-value targets, recognizing their vulnerabilities and putting practical defenses in place can help prevent costly disruptions in the 2025–2026 academic year.
Schools under siege
Educational institutions are prime targets not only because of what they have, but also what they often lack.
On the “have” side, colleges possess a treasure trove of data: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, financial records and even sensitive research tied to government or corporate partners. For hackers, it’s a jackpot of personally identifiable information that can be sold, stolen or held for ransom.
On the “lack” side, too many schools run on outdated hardware and legacy software that were never designed for today’s threat landscape. Budget constraints and competing priorities often mean funds go to visible tech investments, like laptops or flashy edtech tools, while core network security is neglected. That gap is exactly what cybercriminals look to exploit.
Hackers also know educational institutions are under intense pressure to get systems back online quickly, making them more likely to pay ransoms. The median ransom payment for universities and colleges this past year was a whopping $4.4 million. For state institutions, those payouts often come straight from taxpayer dollars.
Cybercriminals get sophisticated
What makes the situation more urgent now for educational institutions is how fast cyberattacks are escalating. Cyberattacks on schools surged 35% last year, with average weekly incidents in the thousands.
And these aren’t just clumsy email scams anymore. Threat actors are using AI-driven tactics designed to trick staff, students and administrators. Some of the most common threats include:
- Vishing (voice phishing): Scam calls that pressure staff into sharing sensitive data.
- 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 attacks in 2023.
- AI-Enhanced Phishing Emails: Highly polished, convincing emails that look indistinguishable from legitimate requests.
- Suspicious Login Activity: With remote and hybrid learning expanding access points, unusual login patterns are often the first sign of compromise.
3 P’s of strong defense
There’s no single fix for cybersecurity, but schools can strengthen resilience by focusing on three key areas: prevention, protection and preparedness.
1. Prevention: Keeping attackers out
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require more than a password to log in, closing off the most common attack vector.
- Patch and update regularly: Outdated systems are an open invitation for attackers – consistent updates are critical.
- Zero-trust architecture: Assume no user or device is safe by default. Verify access every time, for every connection.
2. Protection: Securing people and devices
- Endpoint protection: Treat every laptop, phone or tablet as a potential entry point and secure accordingly.
- Hold in-person training sessions: Teachers, administrators and even students need basic cybersecurity awareness education – it can’t live with IT alone.
- NIST framework alignment: Use proven national standards to benchmark and strengthen security programs.
3. Preparedness: Responding when the worst happens
- Disaster recovery planning: Rehearse response efforts before an incident, not during one.
- Simplify documentation: Write recovery guides at a fifth-grade reading level. Clear, step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow under stress.
- Reliable backups: Maintain multiple, encrypted backups across different media and locations (cloud, off-site, or as required by policy).
In high-pressure situations, clarity is everything. Step-by-step plans and and reliable backup resources can help keep recovery efforts from becoming too chaotic.
Follow the lesson plan
As campuses fill back up this fall, schools need to ensure that cybersecurity is more than just an IT line item. A major breach won’t just result in login delays—it can cancel classes, expose private data and drain millions from already stretched budgets.
Just as schools run fire drills and emergency preparedness exercises, they need to treat cybersecurity with the same level of urgency. In today’s environment, vigilance is a necessity to keep the bell ringing on schedule.
