There is an increase in cyber attacks against the global education sector, as back-to-school season gets underway, says Check Point Research (CPR).
The education sector experienced the highest volume of cyber attacks during the month of July compared to other industry sectors.
The education sector faced an average of 1,739 cyber attacks per organization each week, marking a 29 percent increase from the first half of 2021.
Education sectors in India, Italy, Israel, Australia and Turkey are the most targeted countries in terms of cyber attacks.
In more than half of the countries, the education sector is the most attacked sector, and in 94 percent of them, the education sector is in the top three most attacked sectors.
By region, organizations in the education sector in South Asia experienced the highest volume of attacks.
The education sector in India was attacked significantly more compared to other industries in the month of July 2021. Schools, universities and research centers make for attractive targets to cyber criminals because they are often under resourced from a security perspective. The short-notice, on-and-off shift to remote learning exacerbates the security risk.
With students logging on from their home networks using their personal devices, the school season presents a range of new security threats that many aren’t prepared to address. Organizations in the education sector should be proactive in their protection strategies.
