Security News > 2021 > March > UK colleges and unis urged to prepare for ransomware before it's too late
Britain's National Cyber Security Centre has urged universities, schools, and colleges to be vigilant following an increase in ransomware attacks targeting educational institutions.
The University of the Highlands and Islands was also struck earlier this month, leading the institution to shut down its campuses while beleaguered IT staff fought off the ransomware.
Previous spikes in attacks against UK educational institutions were seen in August and September 2020, traditionally the time when schools return from the summer holidays.
The NCSC said today that these assaults were coming from various malicious organisations, tending to rule out the idea that a high-profile ransomware gang was systematically targeting educational institutions for easy pickings.
Steve Kennett, director of e-infrastructure at the higher education support body Jisc, said in a statement: "Jisc has been helping many colleges and universities recover from ransomware attacks recently so we have seen what a devastating impact this crime has on the sector."
In October it followed up with more research into what it called the sector's "Difficult cyber security posture" - research tending to show that underfunded IT provision in educational institutions may have contributed to today's warning from the NCSC. It's not only British schools and colleges being targeted by crims; last year US schools had their fair share of ransomware infections too.