Threat actors — and particularly ransomware attackers — have education institutions in their crosshairs. From Vice Society’s September attack on schools in California to Snach’s late October assault on schools in Wisconsin, threat actors are not holding back when it comes to preying on schools. K-12 schools are the most vulnerable within the education industry, with many having only small staffs and even smaller budgets for defending against attacks. In addition, attacks have trickle-down effects on school staff, students and parents, who are often casualties in attacks that leak sensitive personally identifiable information (PII).
The X-Force Threat Intelligence Index consistently ranks education as one of the top ten targeted industries. Ransomware and adware are the top two attack types against education, according to the report, and phishing and brute force are the top infection vectors. Add to this that the average cost of a data breach for an educational institution is $3.86 million, and you have a recipe for a tough cybersecurity position for many schools today.
To the Defense
IBM recognizes this precarious situation for many schools, and so for the second year in a row has instituted the IBM Education Security Preparedness Grants program, aimed at helping educational institutions prepare for a significant cyberattack — such as ransomware — and create plans for resiliency.
IBM Security ..
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