A new study by Barracuda Networks states that more and more educational institutions are being targeted by spear-phishing attacks. More than 1,000 schools, colleges, and universities faced more than 3.5 million phishing attacks between June and September 2020. According to the latest analysis released by Threat Spotlight, more than 1,000 schools, colleges, and universities have fallen victim to more than 3 million, 5 million phishing attacks, between June and September 2020.
It is estimated that a quarter of these were BEC attacks as they are more likely to be used against educational institutions than other organizations. 4 out of 10 attacks which constitute 41% of the total attacks targeting the training were spear-phishing, while 28% were fraud attempts and 3% blackmail.
According to the survey, attacks on educational institutions increased by 11% and 13% in June and September, respectively, which were open, while a decrease occurred in July and August.
On the subject of the pandemic, most criminals rely more on titles like “COVID-19 NEW UPDATES”, “Update on COVID-19 Watch Now”, “COVID-19 SCHOOL MEETING” and “Re: Stay Safe” on their phishing attacks.
Following the outbreak of the pandemic and the subsequent transition to e-learning, it was observed that the volume of content in the databases of schools and universities increased, at the same time increasing the chances of a possible cyber attack.
Michael Flouton, Vice President of Email Protection at Barracuda, recommends that as a precaution against schools, schools and universities invest in email security with the help of artificial intelligence, which can help identify suspicious senders and requests. but also to prevent phishing attacks.
