In the digital classroom era, schools are no longer just centers of learning—they're also prime targets for cybercriminals. From student records and attendance logs to financial systems and staff credentials, the information educational institutions manage is incredibly valuable—and increasingly vulnerable.
In fact, the education sector is now the fifth most targeted industry worldwide, according to Nord Security, with data breaches in U.S. schools rising sharply over the past five years. A 2023 report from the K12 Security Information Exchange (K12 SIX) revealed that publicly disclosed cyber incidents in K–12 schools hit an all-time high, affecting both large urban districts like Los Angeles and New York City, as well as smaller, rural systems in states like Illinois and Pennsylvania.
These breaches don’t just threaten data—they disrupt learning, erode trust, and leave students and staff exposed to long-term risks like identity theft. For school leaders and IT teams, this is a wake-up call: protecting educational environments means going beyond firewalls and passwords, and adopting a proactive, layered approach to cybersecurity.
In this article, we’ll walk through the key risks, recent trends, and concrete measures your school can take to prevent data breaches and respond effectively when they occur.
What are school data breaches?
School data breaches occur when either a malicious internal user or external attacker(s) gain unauthorized access to confidential or sensitive information within a school’s database. These breaches can disrupt operations and make critical systems inaccessible, highlighting the importance of protecting these systems. In many cases, sensitive data about students and staff – including social security numbers, education records, personal health information, and discipline information, among others – can be stolen.
According to recent reports, many school districts have experienced data breaches, resulting in the exposure of sensitive information, including social security numbers, student records, and employee data. The consequences of a data breach can be severe, including identity theft, financial loss, and reputational damage. Therefore, it is essential for educational institutions to implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber threats and prevent data breaches.
Key measures include using strong passwords, implementing multi-factor authentication, and developing comprehensive incident response plans. These steps can help ensure that only authorized individuals gain access to sensitive information and that the institution is prepared to respond effectively in the event of a data breach. By prioritizing cybersecurity, educational institutions can safeguard their data and maintain the trust of their students, staff, and broader school community.
How does a data breach affect schools and universities?
One reason for the increase in attacks is that hackers have realized school systems are vulnerable. There is a lot of technical debt going on, and most of the time, IT teams don't necessarily have the resources or cybersecurity experts on staff to keep up.
On an institutional level, data breaches at schools come after taking a hit from a cybersecurity attack, where ransomware attackers can lock down a school’s records and system, leaving them with no choice but to shut down and unable to provide services for days or months. Leveraging resources from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency can significantly enhance cybersecurity efforts in school districts by providing federal grants and participation in information-sharing forums.
On an individual level, data leaks often target personal data with the goal of selling it on places like the dark web or using it to access various accounts and information further. This information can act as an open door to a private room for cybercriminals. Beyond explicitly using things like bank account numbers to siphon money, these attackers are capable of doing a lot of damage with very little information! Perhaps worst of all, hackers can gain access to enough personal information to steal someone’s identity, presenting a whole host of potential legal challenges to overcome.
While it may feel more logical for hackers to attack universities, there are still plenty of cybersecurity risks for K-12 schools as well. According to an analysis done by NBC News, over 1200 K-12 schools had stolen data published online. Schools are also are more likely to pay ransoms than any other institutions. Moreover, when schools refuse to meet ransom demands, hackers can reach out to students’ families and promise to withhold their data in return for an individual payment. This practice is becoming more and more popular with hackers because, when administrators are unwilling or unable to pay the ransom, the hackers can simply threaten parents
What are the possible causes of data breaches in schools?
Compromised credentials
Attackers have plenty of data from previous data breaches on the dark web and make targeted BEC attacks on students, staff, and vendor providers with the sole purpose of extracting, among other things, login credentials and session credentials to gain access to the school network and system. According to the findings in the Verizon DBIR Report, stolen credentials were responsible for as many as 31% of breaches within the educational sector.
Phishing attacks
Another very common cause of school data breaches is what is known as phishing attacks. Phishing attacks can occur in a variety of ways. Commonly, malicious emails disguised as normal messages contain links that include malware or ransomware. It is important for schools to warn students to keep vigilant and carefully read the contents of an email and check if the sender is someone they trust before clicking on any links. Phishing attacks can also occur when students browse banned or unsecured websites. The sites often contain sketchy links that contain malware but are even capable of infecting data just from the initial click to jump to a website.
System vulnerabilities being exploited
Many data breaches are the result of the exploitation of system vulnerabilities. Outdated software and firmware lack the latest security updates, rendering them vulnerable to attacks. To minimize this risk, K-12 school districts and higher education should undergo comprehensive vulnerability assessments to improve their cybersecurity posture and fortify their defenses against potential breaches. Information systems, such as PowerSchool's student information system, store sensitive data and are particularly vulnerable to cyber threats.
Lost or stolen devices
Device theft or loss is another type of data breach vector. This occurs when physical devices containing sensitive data, such as laptops, smartphones, or external hard drives, are stolen or lost. The data on these devices can then be accessed by unauthorized individuals. Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity programs can help secure these devices and prevent data breaches.
Poor device distribution practices
Faculty, staff, and students download and access resources and extensions while off-campus, not contained within the limits of their institution’s IT and school cybersecurity policies. As they download software and apps onto mobile devices and laptops, they unwittingly create insecure access points for dangerous malware and suspect networks. Schools simply haven’t emphasized best practices for device distribution sufficiently.
Examples of school data breaches
Data breaches in the education sector are no longer isolated incidents—they’re a growing, nationwide pattern affecting institutions of all sizes. Here are some recent and high-impact cases that underscore the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity in schools:
Minneapolis Public Schools – Ransomware & Data Leak (2023)
In early 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools fell victim to a ransomware attack that compromised the personal data of over 100,000 individuals, including students, families, and staff. Hackers demanded $1 million in exchange for not releasing the data. When the district didn’t comply, the attackers published files on the dark web, including student ID numbers, Social Security numbers, disciplinary records, and health information.
This breach highlights the need for encrypted data storage and stronger incident response planning.
New Haven Public Schools (Connecticut) – Vendor Impersonation & $6M Loss (2023)
Attackers gained access to email systems and impersonated trusted vendors, leading the city to accidentally transfer over $6 million to fraudulent accounts. While the FBI recovered part of the funds, the breach disrupted financial operations and revealed weaknesses in vendor verification processes.
Email security and finance team training are critical to avoid this type of attack.
Clark County School District (Nevada) – Repeat Ransomware Incident (2023)
As the fifth-largest district in the U.S., Clark County has become a high-profile target. In 2023, it suffered another major ransomware attack (following a similar one in 2020), resulting in the leak of sensitive student records after the district refused to pay. The incident reinforced concerns about legacy system vulnerabilities and lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Recurring attacks often exploit the same security gaps—patching and hardening systems is non-negotiable.
How to prevent a school data breach
There are a number of steps a school can take to help prevent data breaches. No one solution exists to stop all data breaches for good; instead, it’s important to take a variety of actions and consistently evaluate and update any cybersecurity measures taken, as well as maintain up-to-date training for both students and educators. Here are a few effective ways you can improve your school’s cybersecurity:
Cyber aware culture
It is crucial to ensure that the school community understands the significance of digital security and receives training on the common ways cybercriminals act and access school networks. This will help bridge any potential gaps in knowledge and streamline the training process. Continuous learning is essential in maintaining a cyber-aware culture, ensuring that both teaching and learning can occur in a safe online environment.
Restrict access to data
Passwords are a key piece of this puzzle—school and district leaders must educate staff on the importance of creating strong passwords and using multi-factor authentication as a data security policy.
Plan for data breaches
Creating a comprehensive incident response plan is similar to preparing a well-practiced emergency drill—it equips security teams to respond swiftly and effectively to data breach attacks, potentially reducing the damage and costs associated with these events.
The plan should detail the containment, eradication, and recovery phases, providing clear guidelines to mitigate effects, isolate compromised systems, address causes, and restore operations. Of course, any incident response plan needs to be tested and updated as threats get increasingly more complex.
Additionally, having evidence to support response plans is crucial for ensuring that actions taken are based on accurate and reliable information.
Credential Screening
Breach monitoring is an increasingly crucial component in the arsenal of data breach prevention measures. It involves the surveillance of the dark web to detect if sensitive information from an institution has been compromised and is being sold or traded among cybercriminals.
How to protect education records from ransomware attacks
Ransomware attacks have become a significant threat to educational institutions, with many school districts and universities falling victim to these types of cyber attacks. Ransomware attacks involve malicious actors gaining access to an institution’s systems and encrypting sensitive information, including education records, until a ransom is paid.
To protect education records from ransomware attacks, educational institutions should implement robust cybersecurity measures. Regular backups are crucial, as they ensure that data can be restored without paying the ransom. Firewalls and antivirus software provide additional layers of defense against these attacks. Additionally, institutions should conduct regular risk assessments and vulnerability testing to identify potential weaknesses in their systems.
It is also essential for educational institutions to have an incident response plan in place. This plan should include procedures for responding to a ransomware attack, such as containment, eradication, and recovery. By having a clear and practiced response plan, institutions can minimize the damage and recover more quickly from an attack.
Furthermore, the Department of Education and other federal agencies provide guidance and resources to help educational institutions prevent and respond to ransomware attacks. These resources include credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for victims, which can help mitigate the impact of a data breach. By taking these proactive steps, educational institutions can reduce the risk of a ransomware attack and protect sensitive education records.
Multi-layered security strategy to prevent school data breaches
One very important tool that schools and universities have at their disposal to prevent data breaches is what’s known as a multi-layered security strategy. These strategies are not single, catch-all wizardry that will prevent and restore any data breach, but rather a comprehensive plan to deploy against these attacks ahead of time.
It’s important for educators and administrators to have a plan and take as many precautions as they can, and multi-layered security strategies are one way to do so. Leveraging various technologies is crucial for a robust multi-layered security strategy. These strategies can include:
- Privileged access security solutions to monitor and control access to privileged system accounts, which are frequent targets of malicious internal users and external attackers.
- Multi-factor authentication solutions strengthen identity management, prevent identity theft, and reduce risks related to lost or stolen devices or weak passwords.
- Endpoint threat detection and response tools to automatically identify and mitigate malware, phishing, ransomware, and other malicious activities that can lead to data breaches.
- Least privilege management practices closely align access rights with roles and responsibilities so no one has more access than they need to do their job. This helps reduce attack surfaces and contain the spread of certain types of malware that rely on elevated privileges.
There are many providers out there that offer up comprehensive solutions incorporating many of these installation tools mentioned above. While it can seem daunting to set these security solutions up, rest easy that they are easier to pick up than anticipated! Prey offers comprehensive packages that can provide hassle-free security to educational institutions, leaving administrators, educators, and students.
