Cyber Risks Are Rising Across Education

Education institutions are facing escalating cyber threats, a recent Research detected 58.8 million phishing emails across 536 institutions in three months—equivalent to around 1,200 phishing attempts per institution every day.
 
The survey found that, 77% of education respondents experienced an email security incident during the past year, highlighting vulnerabilities beyond conventional phishing.
 
The sector recorded particularly high levels of serious attacks. 
 
38% reported email-initiated ransomware incidents, compared with 28% globally, while account takeover reached 27% versus the 20% overall average.
 
Response remains a major weakness. 
 
Only 58% investigated suspicious email activity within a day, while 18% required up to a week to restore normal operations—twice the cross-industry average.
 
Human error, skills shortages and limited incident-response expertise further increase exposure, giving attackers more time to expand their access after compromising systems.
 
With attackers increasingly using AI, 41% of education respondents want trusted AI-assisted detection and investigation tools. 
 
The message is clear: institutions need to move beyond prevention towards AI-powered detection, rapid response and cyber resilience.