Emma Okonji

Sophos, a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has released its fifth annual Sophos State of Ransomware in education sector, showing how the sector is opposed to ransomware, indicating a sharp drop in ransom payments.

The global study of 441 IT and cybersecurity leaders shows the education sector is making measurable progress in defending against ransomware, with fewer ransom payments, dramatically reduced costs, and faster recovery rates. 

According to the report, the gains on the education sector are accompanied by mounting pressures on IT teams, who report widespread stress, burnout, and career disruptions following attacks, as nearly 40 per cent of respondents reported dealing with anxiety.

“Over the past five years, ransomware has emerged as one of the most pressing threats to education, with attacks becoming a daily occurrence. Primary and secondary institutions are seen by cybercriminals as “soft targets”, often underfunded, understaffed, and holding highly sensitive data. The consequences are severe: disrupted learning, strained budgets, and growing fears over student and staff privacy. Without stronger defenses, schools risk not only losing vital resources but also the trust of the communities they serve,” the report said.

The new Sophos study demonstrates that the education sector is getting better at reacting and responding to ransomware, forcing cybercriminals to evolve their approach. 

Trending data from the Sophos study reveals an increase in attacks where adversaries attempt to extort money without encrypting data. 

Unfortunately, paying the ransom remains part of the solution for about half of all victims. 

“However, the payment values are dropping significantly, and for those who have experienced data encryption in ransomware attacks, 97 per cent were able to recover data in some way,” the report further said.

The study found several key indicators of success against ransomware in education to include: Stopping More Attacks; Following the Money; and Plummeting Cost of Recovery.  

In Stopping More Attacks, when it comes to blocking attacks before files can be encrypted, both lower and higher education institutions reported their highest success rate in four years (67 per cent and 38 per cent of attacks, respectively) 

In Following the Money, in the last year, ransom demands fell 73 per cent, which is an average drop of $2.83 million, while average payments dropped from $6 million to $800,000 in lower education and from $4 million to $463,000 in higher education.

In Plummeting Cost of Recovery, outside of ransom payments, average recovery costs dropped 77 per cent in higher education and 39 per cent in lower education. Despite this success, lower education reported the highest recovery bill across all industries surveyed, the report said.

According to the report, while the education sector has made progress in limiting the impact of ransomware, serious gaps remain. In the Sophos study, 64 per cent of victims reported missing or ineffective protection solutions; 66 per cent cited a lack of people (either expertise or capacity) to stop attacks; and 67 per cent admitted to having security gaps. These risks highlight the critical need for schools to focus on prevention, as cybercriminals develop new techniques, including AI-powered attacks.

Highlights from the study that shed light on the gaps that still need to be addressed include: AI-powered threats. High-value data, and Human toll. 

Giving further details of the report, the Director, CTU Threat Research at Sophos, Alexandra Rose, said: “Ransomware attacks on schools are among the most disruptive and brazen crimes. It’s encouraging to see schools getting better at responding and recovering, but the real opportunity is to stop attacks before they start. Prevention, backed by strong incident response planning and collaboration with trusted public and private partners, is essential as adversaries adopt new tactics, including AI-driven threats.” 

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