Indian schools hit by 8000-plus cyberattacks per week: Report

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading AI-powered, cloud-delivered cyber security platform provider, has unveiled its latest Threat Intelligence Report for the Indian market.

The report reveals that the Indian Education and Research sector experienced an average of 8,487 cyberattacks per week over the past six months—nearly double the global average of 4,368 attacks per organization.

Following Education/Research, the most attacked industries in India include Healthcare (5,401 attacks), Government/Military (4,808 attacks), and Consulting (4,204 attacks).

Overall, Indian organizations across industries face 3,278 cyberattacks per week on average, far exceeding the global average of 1,934.

The exceptionally high attack volume in India’s education sector stems from a unique combination of factors.

The rapid digital transformation driven by hybrid learning models, connected campuses, and extensive use of personal devices has significantly expanded the sector’s attack surface.

Many academic institutions operate with limited cyber security budgets and lack dedicated teams, making them vulnerable and easy targets for cybercriminals. 

Furthermore, 74% of Indian organizations report critical vulnerabilities related to Information Disclosure, followed by Remote Code Execution (62%), Authentication Bypass (50%), and Denial of Service (30%). 

These risks are especially pronounced in education institutions that rely heavily on open, internet-facing platforms for learning and collaboration.

In contrast, sectors like healthcare benefit from stricter regulatory compliance and more mature cyber resilience frameworks, making education a comparatively softer, less protected target.