The Alarming Rise of Attacks on the Education Sector

Cyberattacks against the education sector have surged in recent years. SecurityScorecard’s 2025 Global Third-Party Breach Report found that while education accounted for only 2.5% of third-party breaches, its exposure stems from a dangerous mix of sensitive data, limited resources, and high vendor reliance.

Overall, the education sector was the sixth-most breached sector in 2024, one step below retail. And although it’s not leading the pack in breaches, ransomware payments in education are on the rise.

Why Educational Institutions Are Under Siege

1. High-Value Personal Data

Schools and universities store significant volumes of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and other sensitive information:

• Social Security Numbers (SSNs)
• Health and medical records
• Payment and financial aid details
• Residential and contact information

This data appeals to identity thieves, extortionists, and nation-state hackers or APT groups. Education is a top target for hackers tied to China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia, according to previous research and U.S. government advisories.

2. Decentralized IT Environments

Universities often operate like federations of loosely connected departments, each with separate systems, vendors, and controls. This fragmentation can lead to security blind spots and inconsistent policies.

3. Resource Constraints

Education budgets can be strapped, sometimes leaving cybersecurity by the wayside. As a result, many institutions operate with:

• Unpatched or legacy systems
• Limited IT staffing
• Inadequate monitoring tools
• Out-of-date best practices

4. Heavy Dependence on Third Parties

From virtual learning platforms to student information systems, schools rely on a growing list of technology vendors. Each integration introduces additional tech sprawl and attack surface.

SecurityScorecard data shows that supply chain exposure is a contributor to education sector breaches. 11% of breaches in the education sector come from third parties, according to SecurityScorecard research.

The Ransomware Surge in Education

Ransomware attack rates against schools have been high in recent years, but last year, rates declined, according to Sophos researchers. But ransomware payments are climbing. Lower education institutions’ mean reported payment was $3.76 million, which is more than double the prior year’s mean, while higher education institutions’ was $4.02 million. That’s almost four times the prior year’s mean.

Examples of ransomware-caused disruption and financial loss in the education sector are abundant: Last year, Nantucket Public Schools had to cancel school in light of a ransomware incident for instance. In early 2025, Blacon High School in Cheshire closed after a ransomware attack to allow cybersecurity professionals to investigate the breach.

Hive ransomware alone has extorted over $100 million from victims, including education institutions, around the globe, according to the Department of Justice.

Even as trends fluctuate, ransomware groups seem intent on causing chaos in schools. 95% of schools said that ransomware actors also sought to compromise their backups in the past year, for instance, which would be a crucial part of limiting downtime in case of attack.

Tactics can include:

• File encryption and ransom notes
• Data theft followed by public leaks
• Double and triple extortion attacks
• Targeting backups, increasing pressure to pay ransoms

How Schools Can Defend Themselves

While many education institutions can’t match enterprise cybersecurity budgets, several steps can reduce risk:

1. Establish a Vendor Risk Management Program

Track and manage vendors throughout their lifecycle:

• Maintain an inventory of active vendors and their access levels
• Require security certifications and breach notification clauses
• Monitor third-party risk continuously, not just during onboarding

Failing to track whether vendors have experienced a recent breach, allowed poor patching and security hygiene, or sustained weak identity access controls can increase the likelihood that an external compromise will go unnoticed until damage occurs.

SecurityScorecard’s Ratings and Supply Chain Detection and Response (SCDR) solutions provide visibility into vendor exposure and can highlight emerging risks.

2. Use Security Ratings

Security ratings offer an outside-in view of a vendor’s cyber posture. They allow schools to:

• Flag high-risk partners
• Prioritize remediations
• Communicate clearly with leadership

Ratings may also help reduce reliance on self-assessments, which are often incomplete.

3. Segment Critical Systems

Network segmentation can help to reduce breach impact if and when one occurs. Consider separating access by:

• User role (faculty, student, admin)
• Data sensitivity (research, financial aid, academic records)
• Integration type (internal tools versus external-facing tools)

4. Prepare Incident Response Playbooks

Build specific playbooks for:

• Vendor breaches
• Ransomware attacks
• Credential leaks

Run tabletop exercises to pressure-test response timelines and cross-team coordination.

5. Leverage Government and Nonprofit Resources

Participation in various government and non-governmental programs can help schools stay informed and tap into public-private support networks. CISA and the U.S. Department of Education offer several resources to assist education institutions in protecting against attackers and hardening defenses.

• Threat intelligence alerts
• Recommendations and resources
• Implementation guidance
• Coordination through Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs)

The K12 Security Information Exchange (K12SIX), for instance, can share best practices with education institutions and identify emerging trends.

Protect Your Supply Chain with Real-Time Threat Detection
SecurityScorecard’s SCDR solution offers continuous monitoring of your third-party ecosystem, enabling swift identification and mitigation of cyber threats. Enhance your organization’s resilience by proactively managing supply chain risks.
🔗 Understand SCDR