Higher education is a major target for cybercriminals. In fact, education was the fourth-most-targeted sector during the first half of 2025, behind business, government and healthcare, according to a report. Unlike the banking sector, for instance, universities and colleges often operate with limited budgets and lean IT teams. However, they’re responsible for protecting the same kind of sensitive data – personally identifiable information (PII), financial details, health records, and valuable research intellectual property (IP).
Hackers don’t always need a specific motive; sometimes, they are just looking for an easy entry point, and universities offer plenty of open doors. Campuses are designed for accessibility, with Wi-Fi networks, remote learning tools, and learning management systems. Every year brings a new wave of students and faculty with varying levels of tech expertise, and amid the constant churn, routine patching and software updates can easily slip through the cracks.
That combination of openness, complexity, and under-resourcing makes higher education a magnet for phishing, ransomware, and even nation-state espionage campaigns. And when a breach happens, the fallout is serious, from reputational damage and broken trust with students and parents, to costly violations of regulations like FERPA, GDPR, and HIPAA. So, universities need to ensure they identify vulnerabilities early on and mitigate them.
In this blog post, we explore how steps like vulnerability scans and penetration testing can help campuses protect their people, data, and reputation.
Top 3 cyber threats facing universities
Ransomware
Ransomware is a major challenge for the higher ed sector. Universities hold a lot of valuable data like PII, students’ financial and health records, and research IP. Hackers may block access to data or threaten to make information public till a ransom is paid.
The impact can be immediate and far-reaching. A single ransomware incident can bring core operations to a halt, disrupting classes, financial aid processing, payroll, and ongoing research. Because of the sensitive nature of the data and the services affected, institutions are often under intense pressure to pay the ransom, straining already thin budgets. And that’s just the start: rebuilding or replacing compromised systems, restoring backups, and managing public fallout can become a huge financial and reputational burden.
Phishing
Phishing remains one of the most persistent and effective threats on campus. Universities provide an ideal environment for these attacks because they have large communities of students, faculty, and researchers, many of whom may have limited cybersecurity awareness or training.
Attackers exploit that environment with highly targeted scams. New students might receive fake emails about tuition payments or financial aid changes. Graduating seniors could be scammed by fake job offers or internship opportunities. Faculty and staff may be tricked into revealing payroll credentials or updating direct deposit information, allowing attackers to reroute paychecks.
The result is often confusion, panic, and costly downtime as IT teams scramble to contain the damage and reassure the campus community.
Cyber espionage
Many universities conduct high-stakes research in fields like defense, biotechnology, and energy. This research often has national or even global significance. That makes them prime targets for nation-state actors seeking to steal intellectual property or gain strategic advantage.
These attackers often use tactics like spear-phishing, credential theft, and social engineering to infiltrate networks and quietly steal sensitive research data.
The cost of a breach
When a cyber incident hits higher ed, the consequences can be felt far beyond IT.
Financial loss
Recovery costs, legal fees, and potential ransom payments.
Reputation damage
Parents, students, and donors lose trust quickly.
Operational downtime
Classes canceled, systems offline, research halted.
Regulatory exposure
Violations of FERPA, HIPAA, or PCI can trigger fines.
How pentesting helps uncover gaps & build a stronger security posture
Many universities today have basic cybersecurity measures in place, like firewalls and multi-factor authentication. However, keeping a campus both secure and accessible is a tricky balancing act. In our experience, the vulnerabilities that come up during a penetration test are often the small, overlooked details, like unpatched systems or outdated software that never got updated; system misconfigurations; privilege escalation gaps.
Together, these gaps create strong entry points for hackers to move laterally across campus networks. Once inside, sensitive student data, including PII, health records, and financial information, can be exposed. This opens the door to identity theft, financial fraud, and could put you in violation of regulations like PCI, HIPAA, and FERPA.
Many universities sometimes put cybersecurity testing on the backburner due to budget constraints or concerns about disrupting day-to-day operations. However, the potential damage from a data breach to students, staff, and institutional reputation can far outweigh the cost of security testing.
Starting with a vulnerability scan to identify weak points, followed by a penetration test to simulate real-world attacks, is a smart, high-impact solution to stay ahead of threats and ensure the valuable data you hold is protected. This proactive approach helps you understand how hackers could exploit your systems and prioritize fixes to mitigate risky weaknesses.
Schedule your university’s next penetration test
Don’t wait for a breach to expose your vulnerabilities. Schedule a penetration test today to see exactly where your university’s systems are at risk, and take proactive steps to protect your students, staff, and research. Contact us today to get started!
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