Schools and colleges are top targets of cybercriminals in 2024 [Video]

Stocking up on school supplies: Check! Updated vaccines: check!

With school back in session for many districts across the country, there’s a lot for parents to juggle, from packing lunches to carpools to getting to bed on time. It’s easy to understand why preventing identity theft isn’t top of mind.

But perhaps it should be.

Cybersecurity company Check Point Software found that the education sector is the most targeted industry this year to date, with attacks up 37% compared to 2023.

The average number of weekly attacks on education tops government, health care, and even finance and banking.

Check Point’s Chris Nottingham said sectors such as health care and education used to be somewhat off-limits to criminals.

“Cybercrime is a business they’re looking to expand,” Nottingham said. “What they found is that certain sectors like education do not have good cybersecurity controls in place.”

Keeping up with the most effective cybersecurity software may be out of reach for many of the nation’s school districts.

“The mission …