Cyber Attacks Surge Against Education Sector Ahead of Back-to-School Season
Summary:
A new port from Check Point indicates that cyberattacks on the education are on a rise, making it the most targeted industry worldwide. Between January to July 2025, educational institutes faced an average of 4,356 attacks per week, a 41% rise compared to the previous year. While the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region accounted for the highest number of attacks, North America saw the steepest year-over-year increase at 67%, followed by Africa (56%), and Europe (48%).
Security Officer Comments:
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of seasonal periods such as back-to-school season to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns. These attacks often use themes familiar to students and staff, including fake university login pages or payment update lures, to steal sensitive information . The education sector is particularly vulnerable due to its large, distributed user base, heavy reliance on online platforms, and often limited cybersecurity budgets. This combination of factors, along with access to valuable data like student records and research, makes schools and universities a prime target for threat actors.
Suggested Corrections:
https://blog.checkpoint.com/researc...source=twitter-unpaid&utm_medium=social-media
A new port from Check Point indicates that cyberattacks on the education are on a rise, making it the most targeted industry worldwide. Between January to July 2025, educational institutes faced an average of 4,356 attacks per week, a 41% rise compared to the previous year. While the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region accounted for the highest number of attacks, North America saw the steepest year-over-year increase at 67%, followed by Africa (56%), and Europe (48%).
Security Officer Comments:
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of seasonal periods such as back-to-school season to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns. These attacks often use themes familiar to students and staff, including fake university login pages or payment update lures, to steal sensitive information . The education sector is particularly vulnerable due to its large, distributed user base, heavy reliance on online platforms, and often limited cybersecurity budgets. This combination of factors, along with access to valuable data like student records and research, makes schools and universities a prime target for threat actors.
Suggested Corrections:
- Reinforce phishing awareness for staff and students with examples of current scams.
- Harden authentication by enforcing MFA and monitoring for MFA fatigue phishing tactics.
- Monitor new domains related to their institution for typosquatting or impersonation.
- Patch and update systems regularly, especially widely used platforms such as email and collaboration tools.
- Deploy advanced threat prevention solutions that block malicious emails, files, and links before they reach users.
https://blog.checkpoint.com/researc...source=twitter-unpaid&utm_medium=social-media