The start of the academic year in UK education institutions brings operational pressures that are exploited by increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks, targeting both human and machine identities amid a surge in digital onboarding.
- 27% of higher education institutions report weekly cyber attacks
- AI enables more convincing phishing and misinformation campaigns
- Non-human digital identities significantly expand the attack surface
What happened
As the academic year begins, UK educational institutions ramp up onboarding of students, staff, and associated devices, creating increased operational strain on IT teams. This surge in account creation and device enrolment coincides with a rise in cyberattacks, particularly ransomware, credential theft, and data breaches targeting the education sector. The UK government’s survey uncovered that over a quarter of universities and colleges face cyberattacks at least weekly.
Compounding these risks is the proliferation of AI-empowered cyber threats that produce highly convincing phishing campaigns, often impersonating trusted institutional sources such as funding offices and IT departments. Digital identities now extend beyond human users to numerous machine identities — including service accounts, APIs, and AI-driven assistants — which are critical for infrastructure but often poorly managed.
Why it matters
The education sector holds valuable data — from personal student records and financial details to important research data — making it a lucrative target. However, tight budgets and large, frequently changing user bases hinder comprehensive security compliance. Government findings reveal that a majority of institutions have yet to fully implement recommended cybersecurity practices, leaving vast vulnerabilities unaddressed.
Non-human identities such as service accounts and device certificates dramatically expand the potential attack surface if left unmanaged. These identities control access to essential campus systems and cloud services, and a compromise can enable unauthorized access or disruption of critical educational operations. Additionally, the rise of AI agents in handling admissions and grading adds complexity to identity management requirements.
What to watch next
Education IT teams must prioritize strengthening identity and access management strategies that encompass both human users and machine identities. This includes automating control of service accounts, certificates, and AI system access to reduce risks posed by excessive privileges or forgotten accounts.
Another key focus will be enhancing user awareness and automated defenses against AI-powered social engineering attacks, which are becoming increasingly difficult to detect manually. The upcoming academic cycles will test institutions’ ability to sustain security amid ongoing digital transformation and AI integration.