The education sector is seeing measurable progress in its fight against ransomware, according to Sophos’ latest State of Ransomware in Education report. Based on a global study of 441 IT and cybersecurity leaders, the report reveals that both lower and higher education institutions are getting better at stopping attacks, limiting encryption, and avoiding large payments.
Despite these improvements, the sector remains a frequent target due to its limited cybersecurity resources and high-value data. Attackers are now adapting their strategies — including extortion without encryption — to stay ahead.
Block rates improve, ransom payments decline
Lower education institutions reported blocking 67% of ransomware attacks before file encryption, their best performance in four years. Higher education followed with a 38% success rate. Recovery rates also improved — 97% of institutions experiencing encryption were able to recover their data.
Financially, the sector has seen sharp relief. In lower education, average ransom payments dropped from $6 million to $800,000. In higher education, the average payment fell from $4 million to $463,000. Overall recovery costs — beyond just the ransom — dropped 77% in higher education and 39% in lower education.
Human stress and tooling gaps persist
Despite the progress, the sector continues to report severe strain on IT teams. One in four staff members took leave after an attack, and 40% reported heightened stress. Many expressed guilt for not being able to stop the incident.
The report also flagged major gaps in cybersecurity readiness. 64% of affected institutions cited missing or ineffective protection. 66% said they lacked the people or skills to respond effectively. Notably, 67% admitted to having security gaps in their environment.
Sophos also warned of AI-powered threats that could increase attack sophistication. In lower education, 22% of ransomware incidents began with phishing — an area where generative AI could make future attacks harder to detect.
What schools must do next
Sophos recommends education institutions focus on prevention and unify their strategies across IT systems to reduce attack surfaces. The report highlights the importance of managed detection and response (MDR) services and 24/7 monitoring to relieve pressure on internal teams.
Simulation exercises, incident playbooks, and secure backup systems remain essential. AI-driven threats require schools to rethink perimeter defences and upgrade email and endpoint security.
“Ransomware attacks in education don’t just disrupt classrooms — they impact entire communities,” said Alexandra Rose, Director, CTU Threat Research at Sophos. “Progress is being made, but long-term resilience depends on proactive investment and strong security partnerships.”
