Criminals are apparently not taking any time off during this pandemic, and in fact by all accounts have increased their attacks, particularly targeting entities whose attention is diverted to dealing with the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. In particular, educational institutions across the country have faced a recent onslaught of ransomware attacks, often crippling an already vulnerable infrastructure just as classes were set to resume. Check Point Research recently published a report advising that cyber-attacks targeting academic institutions increased 30 percent between July and August (with upwards of 600 attacks per week). Although the research does not reveal why the surge occurred, it is likely not a coincidence that Covid-19 has compelled schools to utilize and vastly expand the use of new and unfamiliar technologies that allow remote learning, which in turn may have opened up new opportunities for cybercriminals to attack. In addition, although financial resources were spent on acquiring new technologies, the same expenditures were not necessarily invested in associated security. Often times cyber-attacks start with a phishing-email, that once opened allows cybercriminals to gain access to an organization’s infrastructure over time. As attention has been diverted to dealing with emergency Covid-19 issues, organizations have less resources focused on cyber-attacks. Accordingly, as the Covid-19 emergency persists, educational institutions must be sure not lose focus on monitoring cyber-attacks. Failing to expend the additional resources on cybersecurity prevention and monitoring, could very likely cost the school significantly more in the long run.
