An expert emphasizes the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to safeguard educational institutions.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
In recent years, the education sector in the United States has been relentlessly targeted by cybercriminals, leading to a concerning rise in data breaches. In 2023 alone, several significant data breaches have rocked schools and colleges nationwide, shedding light on the education sector’s vulnerabilities.
Oliver Page, the CEO of cybersecurity company CyberNut, reveals the top ten most significant data breaches that hit US schools and colleges last year.
Top Data Breaches Affecting U.S. Institutions Last Year
| State | School/College Affected | Number of Students Affected | Type of Ransomware | Ranking |
| Georgia | Georgia Institute of Technology | 43,217 | Unknown | 1 |
| Arizona | Tucson Unified School District | 41,898 | Royal | 2 |
| Alabama | Jefferson County Schools | 36,000 | Unknown | 3 |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis Public Schools | 32,722 | Medusa | 4 |
| Iowa | Des Moines Public Schools | 31,720 | Unknown | 5 |
| West Virginia | Berkeley County Public Schools | 19,722 | Vice Society | 6 |
| Minnesota | Rochester Public Schools | 18,100 | Unknown | 7 |
| Montana | Montana State University (Great Falls College of Technology) | 16,841 | Royal | 8 |
| Louisiana | Southeastern Louisiana University | 14,300 | BianLian | 9 |
| Texas | Stephen F. Austin State University | 11,327 | Rhysida | 10 |
Georgia Tech Data Breach
In 2023, the Georgia Institute of Technology fell victim to a devastating data breach, compromising the personal data of thousands of students and staff. This included their names, addresses, birth dates, and their Social Security numbers.
Tucson Unified School District Ransomware Attack
Last year, the Tucson Unified School District in the state of Arizona experienced a significant data breach, exposing thousands of confidential student records, which included their personal information. The breach not only jeopardized the privacy of students but also raised concerns about the security of educational data systems.
Jefferson County Schools Cybersecurity Attack
One of Alabama’s largest public school systems faced a cyberattack last year that disrupted online learning and administrative systems, causing widespread disruption and inconvenience to students and staff.
Minneapolis Public Schools
A 2023 data breach rocked Minneapolis’ public schools, exposing the personal information of thousands of students and staff. The district faced criticism for the delay in notifying the victims of the breach, but has since offered credit monitoring and identity theft restoration services to all affected parties. The district also vowed to enhance its cybersecurity measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
‘The potential consequences of these data breaches are dire, ranging from financial losses to reputational damage and even legal repercussions. Moreover, the vulnerabilities exploited in these incidents reveal lapses in security protocols, inadequate employee training, and a lack of proactive measures to safeguard digital assets,’ Oliver says.
‘As custodians of sensitive student and institutional information, schools and colleges must prioritize cybersecurity to safeguard the digital assets and privacy of their stakeholders,’ Oliver says. ‘By learning from past incidents and adopting proactive security measures, the education sector can fortify its defenses against evolving cyber threats.’
About CyberNut
CyberNut is a security awareness training solution built exclusively for schools. CyberNut’s automated campaigns train your school’s faculty, staff, & students to recognize and report the phishing emails and deep fake Al scams that are targeting your school district, making CyberNut the easiest and the most painless security awareness training solution to implement and manage for school IT departments.
Methodology
The data was taken from Comparitech’s report on Ransomware attacks on US schools and colleges.
This article is brought to us by CyberNut, who provided this information.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
