Education and Healthcare Sectors in India Face Surge in Cyberattacks

Education and healthcare bear brunt of cyberattacks: Report

Education was the most targeted sector by cyberattackers in the past six months, with organisations facing 8,195 attacks per week, more than double the global average of 3,355, a new report has found. Healthcare was the second-most targeted with 7,982 weekly attacks per organisation over this period. It was followed by the government/military sector experiencing 4,590 attacks and the consulting sector facing 4,177 weekly attacks per organisation, according to a threat intelligence report by cybersecurity platform provider Check Point Software Technologies. The report attributed the surge in attacks in education largely to the rapid shift to remote learning during COVID-19 and the continued digitisation of education. "Educational institutions in India are collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive student data, including personal, academic, and financial information, making them prime targets for cybercriminals," Check Point said in a statement on Friday. It said that the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, coupled with the widespread adoption of online learning platforms, has expanded the digital footprint of these institutions, making them more vulnerable to data breaches. Cybercriminals are exploiting weak cybersecurity defences in schools and universities to steal personally identifiable information (PII), often sold on the Dark Web, it added. The study found that over the past six months, organisations in India have experienced an average of 3,244 cyberattacks per week - nearly double the global average of 1,657 attacks per organisation. This underscores the heightened vulnerability of Indian organisations in the face of escalating cyber threats, the report said. Sundar Balasubramanian, managing director for India and SAARC at Check Point Software Technologies, said, "Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting critical sectors in India, particularly those handling vast amounts of personally identifiable information, such as education, which often has wide attack surface. With the rise of Gen AI, these threats are poised to become even more severe especially as social engineering and phishing attacks escalate." He highlighted the urgent need for organisations to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks with proactive measures including robust defences and continuous monitoring, adding this is essential to safeguard sensitive data and maintain operational integrity. The most prevalent malware in India were found to be FakeUpdates, Qbot, and Formbook, with 54% of attacks delivered via email and 58% of email-borne attacks using .exe files, the report said. Further, information disclosure vulnerabilities affected 70% of Indian organisations, exposing critical data to threats.

Indian education sector faces unprecedented surge in cyberattacks - Over 8,000 weekly attacks, double the global average: Check Point Software Threat Intelligence Report

An organization in India is attacked on average 3,244 times per week over the last 6 months, compared to 1,657 attacks per organization globally.The most prevalent malware in India includes FakeUpdates, Qbot, and Formbook.Information Disclosure is the most common vulnerability exploit in India, affecting 70% of organizations. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading AI-powered, cloud-delivered cyber security platform provider, has unveiled finding of its latest Threat Intelligence Report for the last 6 months. The report revealed a startling increase in cyberattacks on the Indian education sector, with 8,195 attacks per week, more than double the global average of 3,355. After the education sector, the other most attacked industries were healthcare with 7,982 weekly attacks per organization, followed by Government/Military sector experiencing 4,590 attacks and the Consulting sector facing 4177 weekly attacks per organization. The surge in attacks is largely attributed to the rapid shift to remote learning during COVID-19 and the continued digitization of education. Educational institutions in India are collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive student data, including personal, academic, and financial information, making them prime targets for cybercriminals. The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, coupled with the widespread adoption of online learning platforms, have expanded the digital footprint of these institutions, making them more vulnerable to data breaches. Cybercriminals are exploiting weak cybersecurity defenses in schools and universities to steal personally identifiable information (PII), often sold on the Dark Web. Over the past six months, organizations in India have experienced an average of 3,244 cyberattacks per week, which is nearly double the global average of 1,657 attacks per organization. This stark contrast underscores the heightened vulnerability of Indian organizations in the face of escalating cyber threats. The report highlights Fake Updates, Qbot, and Formbook as the most prevalent malware in India, with 54% of attacks delivered via email and 58% of email-borne attacks using .exe files. Information disclosure vulnerabilities have also affected 70% of Indian organizations, exposing critical data to threats. The most common malware in India includes four botnets, one infostealer (Formbook), and one downloader (Fake Updates). Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director for India and SAARC at Check Point Software Technologies, commented, "Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting critical sectors in India, particularly those handling vast amounts of personally identifiable information (PII), such as education, which often has wide attack surface. With the rise of Gen AI, these threats are poised to become even more severe especially as social engineering and phishing attacks escalate. The surge in attacks underscores the urgent need for organizations to strengthen their cyber security frameworks. Proactive measures, including robust defenses and continuous monitoring, are essential to safeguard sensitive data and maintain operational integrity." About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading AI-powered, cloud-delivered cyber security platform provider protecting over 100,000 organizations worldwide. Check Point leverages the power of AI everywhere to enhance cyber security efficiency and accuracy through its Infinity Platform, with industry-leading catch rates enabling proactive threat anticipation and smarter, faster response times. The comprehensive platform includes cloud-delivered technologies consisting of Check Point Harmony to secure the workspace, Check Point CloudGuard to secure the cloud, Check Point Quantum to secure the network, and Check Point Infinity Core Services for collaborative security operations and services.