In 2023, 347 cyber incidents were reported in the UK’s education and childcare sector—a 55% increase from 2022. In August 2024, an infant school in Essex was hit by an attack that compromised its IT systems, leaving teachers unable to prepare for lessons before the start of term.
The education sector, which houses a considerable amount of personal and sensitive data, needs to invest in the right technology to protect itself now more than ever. This will enable IT teams to detect, deter, and respond to any malicious activity while also recovering any stolen or encrypted data.
The growing appeal of schools
Schools have become increasingly attractive targets for cybercriminals. With a treasure trove of valuable data—ranging from student names, addresses, and health records to parents’ financial details—hackers see the education sector as a goldmine. This wealth of sensitive information makes schools highly lucrative targets, especially as attackers can monetise this data through identity theft or by selling it on the dark web.
Compounding this is the fact that education is a fast-evolving sector, particularly in terms of digital transformation. Many schools are still grappling with how to effectively implement and maintain cybersecurity measures, creating a learning curve that cybercriminals are eager to exploit. This blend of abundant data and cybersecurity immaturity makes schools prime targets.
Interconnected networks
Another key reason schools are vulnerable to cyberattacks is due to the variety of devices connected to their networks. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones—whether issued by the school or brought in by students and staff—pose a significant risk if not effectively managed. Many of these devices are not equipped with adequate security features. Even worse, many may be used outside of school networks, where they could be exposed to malware or phishing. Once a compromised device is connected to the school’s network, it opens the door to a broader attack.
Staying ahead of threats
One of the most common tactics cybercriminals use to infiltrate schools is phishing—sending fraudulent emails that appear legitimate, designed to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive information or downloading malicious attachments. Teachers and students alike can fall victim to these attacks, especially when phishing emails are tailored to look like they come from trusted sources within the school.
To stay ahead, staff, students and parents must be trained to recognise the signs of a phishing attempt. Red flags include unfamiliar senders, unexpected attachments, requests for personal information, or links that seem out of place. Regular awareness sessions can help school communities remain vigilant and prevent these emails from becoming entry points for more severe cyberattacks.
The checklist
As schools prepare for each academic year, ensuring cybersecurity should be at the top of their agenda. Building awareness across the entire school community is a crucial first step. Teachers, staff, and students must understand the basics of staying safe online, from recognising suspicious emails to using strong, unique passwords. By regularly conducting cybersecurity training, schools can create a culture of vigilance and better equip everyone to identify potential threats.
It’s equally important that teachers, students, and the IT department maintain a strong line of communication. Prompt reporting is critical if something seems off—whether it’s a strange email, an unusual attachment, or a device acting out of the ordinary. Encouraging early engagement with IT teams can stop a cyberattack before it escalates.
On the technical side, schools must optimise their IT systems. By adopting strong security measures, such as two-factor authentication and network segmentation, they can significantly reduce the number of potential entry points for attackers. Reducing this attack surface with these technologies should be a top priority for school IT departments, ensuring that even if one area is compromised, the entire system remains protected.
The role of immutable backups
Even with robust security, no system is entirely immune to ransomware. That’s where an immutable backup solution comes in. In simple terms, an immutable backup ensures that data, once stored, cannot be changed, deleted, or encrypted by an attacker.
An immutable backup is particularly effective when configured with object storage with object lock enabled, creating a Write Once Read Many (WORM) environment. Immutable storage ensures a read-only version of data that even the most talented hackers or malware can’t alter. If a school falls victim to an attack, it could restore its systems using this unchangeable backup, minimising downtime, and ensuring data integrity.
Immutable backups give schools peace of mind, knowing that even if ransomware slips through their defences, they can recover without paying a ransom or losing sensitive information.
Adopting Zero Trust strategies
One of the most effective cybersecurity approaches schools can take is adopting a Zero Trust strategy. Zero Trust operates on the principle that no one—inside or outside the network—should automatically be trusted. Every device, application, and user must be verified before accessing data or systems, significantly reducing the risk of an unauthorised breach.
For schools, this means implementing strict access controls and monitoring traffic in real time, ensuring that suspicious activity is flagged and dealt with swiftly. This approach can be further enhanced by adopting Zero Trust Data Resilience (ZTDR) in addition to the classic Zero Trust framework. ZTDR helps ensure that Zero Trust principles are appropriately applied to the backup environment. ZTDR ensures Backup Software and Backup Storage are appropriately segmented, resilience zones are created, and immutable storage is used for backup targets, minimizing the data protection attack surface, and guaranteeing that recovery is always an option. Adopting Zero Trust and ZTDR can help educational institutions significantly bolster their defences against ransomware and other cyber threats.
Schools must be prepared for ransomware threats. Think about it this way—you wouldn’t ask students to return to school without the right supplies to do well, so why are some schools not implementing the right technology to protect themselves?
With ongoing staff training, robust backups, and a zero-trust framework, schools can create a secure digital environment—ensuring that learning continues uninterrupted, no matter the threat.
