India's Education Sector Faces 7,000+ Cyberattacks Weekly: Hybrid Learning Vulnerabilities Exposed

India's educational institutions are facing a surge in cyberattacks, averaging 7,095 incidents per week—surpassing government agencies (5,140) and consumer goods firms (3,889), per Check Point Software's Half-Year Threat Intelligence Report. Globally, education ranks second only to healthcare in vulnerability, but India's weekly average of 3,233 attacks exceeds the worldwide mean of 2,002, underscoring the sector's heightened risks amid hybrid learning and connected campuses.

Hybrid models, personal devices, and pandemic-driven online shifts have expanded attack surfaces, while limited budgets and IT staff hinder defenses, endangering student data, research, and intellectual property. Sunder Balagopalakrishnan of Check Point warns that RATs and malware exploit these weaknesses, urging a "prevention-first" strategy with cloud-native security, endpoint protection, and threat intelligence to safeguard systems.

Cybersecurity expert Professor Triveni Singh stresses treating security as an investment, not an expense, given the national stakes in data and research integrity. She advocates AI-based filtering and 24/7 monitoring to counter threats, cautioning that without robust frameworks, institutions will remain prime targets, threatening knowledge creation and future security.
 
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