U.S.-based education institutions continue to grapple with major challenges brought by the pandemic: the largest enrollment decline seen in a decade, swirling controversy over reopening physical classrooms, outmoded IT infrastructure that’s sagging under the pressure of digital teaching and learning, and near-crippling financial constraints. As the new school year begins, cyber attackers are expected to take advantage of the confusion and highly vulnerable state of the industry.

Ransomware is hitting the education sector particularly hard. Consider these recent statistics: