The education sector is increasingly encountering cyberattacks. 91% of UK higher education institutions experienced a cybersecurity breach or attack in 2024, according to the UK Government’s 2025 Cyber Security Breaches Survey.
Secondary level schools are also experiencing an increasing number of cyberattacks, with 44% of schools reporting an attack or breach in 2024, according to the survey. Yet the perpetrators in these latter instances are somewhat unexpected.
According to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which has been investigating hacks in schools since 2022, 57% of incidents in secondary schools came from students.
Tech expertise is fueling cyber attacks
Data from the aforementioned survey indicates that a third of breaches featured students logging into staff systems by guessing passwords and stealing information from teachers. This shows risks forming simply from commonly used passwords or written-down login details, both of which should be avoided.
However, more complex incidents were found too. 5% required more sophisticated techniques to bypass security and network controls, with the ICO citing an example of three 16-year-olds using hacking tools to bypass security protocols and crack passwords. Two of these students admitted to being part of an online hacking forum.
One student involved in a data breach was then referred to the National Crime Agency’s Cyber Choices programme to help them understand the severity of their actions. The student was the youngest to have ever attended the programme at only seven years old.
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By GlobalDataStudents hacking schools disrupts education
Schools are massively disrupted when it comes to cyberattacks. In January 2025, a school in Cheshire was forced to temporarily close after a ransomware attack. With most of the school infrastructure reliant on online systems, staff are left unable to access lesson plans and monitor attendance. The latter of these brings about questions of safeguarding, as pupils’ whereabouts must be accounted for. Such disruptions can then impact behaviour around the school, impacting the ability to teach.
Research from the UK government spoke directly to staff impacted by various cyberattacks, who described the “utter chaos” of attacks, and the difficulty in being unable to access shared and personal teaching resources, as well as the inability to prepare lessons. The lack of sufficient laptops being available when desktops were out of action was also highlighted, and one staff member spoke of the dip in trust from parents about security within systems. What may start as a student dare can have an enormous impact on the running of schools.
Cybersecurity systems are essential for schools and must be integrated into education
In today’s increasingly digital learning environment, strong cybersecurity practices in schools are essential to protect students and educators. Vast amounts of data, ranging from personal information and academic records to financial details, create prime targets at schools and universities. Beyond data protection, having robust cybersecurity safeguards ensures that learning platforms and institutions remain trustworthy and accessible, preventing disruptions that can derail learning.
Cybersecurity should be integrated not only in the running of schools and universities, but in teaching itself. Equipping teachers with up-to-date knowledge and clear policies on cybersecure practices would allow schools to transform students’ interest in hacking and experimentation into valuable skills. This will foster a generation of responsible online users as opposed to cybercriminals, preparing students to navigate an online world that increasingly depends on secure and ethical digital practices.
