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Education Sector Strengthening against Ransomware, but IT Teams Pay Personal Price – Sophos Report

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6 months ago

September 12, 2025

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Sophos, a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has released its fifth annual Sophos State of Ransomware in Education report.

The global study of 441 IT and cybersecurity leaders shows the education sector is making measurable progress in defending against ransomware, with fewer ransom payments, dramatically reduced costs, and faster recovery rates.

Yet, these gains are accompanied by mounting pressures on IT teams, who report widespread stress, burnout, and career disruptions following attacks – nearly 40% of respondents reported dealing with anxiety.

Over the past five years, ransomware has emerged as one of the most pressing threats to education, with attacks becoming a daily occurrence. Primary and secondary institutions are seen by cybercriminals as “soft targets”, often underfunded, understaffed, and holding highly sensitive data.

The consequences are severe: disrupted learning, strained budgets, and growing fears over student and staff privacy. Without stronger defenses, schools risk not only losing vital resources but also the trust of the communities they serve.

Indicators of Success against Ransomware

The new Sophos study demonstrates that the education sector is getting better at reacting and responding to ransomware, forcing cybercriminals to evolve their approach.

Trending data from the Sophos study reveals an increase in attacks where adversaries attempt to extort money without encrypting data.

Unfortunately, paying the ransom remains part of the solution for about half of all victims.

However, the payment values are dropping significantly, and for those who have experienced data encryption in ransomware attacks, 97% were able to recover data in some way. The study found several key indicators of success against ransomware in education:

• Stopping More Attacks: When it comes to blocking attacks before files can be encrypted, both lower and higher education institutions reported their highest success rate in four years (67% and 38% of attacks, respectively)

• Following the Money: In the last year, ransom demands fell 73% (an average drop of $2.83M), while average payments dropped from $6M to $800K in lower education and from $4M to $463K in higher education.

• Plummeting Cost of Recovery: Outside of ransom payments, average recovery costs dropped 77% in higher education and 39% in lower education. Despite this success, lower education reported the highest recovery bill across all industries surveyed.

Gaps Still Need to be Addressed

While the education sector has made progress in limiting the impact of ransomware, serious gaps remain. In the Sophos study, 64% of victims reported missing or ineffective protection solutions; 66% cited a lack of people (either expertise or capacity) to stop attacks; and 67% admitted to having security gaps. These risks highlight the critical need for schools to focus on prevention, as cybercriminals develop new techniques, including AI-powered attacks.

Highlights from the study that shed light on the gaps that still need to be addressed include:

• AI-powered threats: Lower education institutions reported that 22% of ransomware attacks had origins in phishing. With AI enabling more convincing emails, voice scams, and even deepfakes, schools risk becoming test grounds for emerging tactics.

• High-value data: Higher education institutions, custodians of AI research and large language model datasets, remain a prime target, with exploited vulnerabilities (35%) and security gaps the provider was not aware of (45%) as leading weaknesses that were exploited by adversaries.

• Human toll: Every institution with encrypted data reported impacts on IT staff. Over one in four staff members took leave after an attack, nearly 40% reported heightened stress, and more than one-third felt guilt they could not prevent the breach.

“Ransomware attacks on schools are among the most disruptive and brazen crimes,” said Alexandra Rose, Director, CTU Threat Research, Sophos. “It’s encouraging to see schools getting better at responding and recovering, but the real opportunity is to stop attacks before they start. Prevention, backed by strong incident response planning and collaboration with trusted public and private partners, is essential as adversaries adopt new tactics, including AI-driven threats.”

Holding on to the Gains

Based on its work protecting thousands of educational institutions, Sophos experts recommend several steps to maintain momentum and prepare for evolving threats:

• Focus on Prevention: The dramatic success of lower education in stopping ransomware attacks before encryption offers a blueprint for broader public sector organizations. Organizations need to couple their detection and response efforts with preventing attacks before they compromise the organization.

• Secure Funding: Explore new avenues such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate subsidies to strengthen networks and firewalls, and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre initiatives, including its free cyber defence service for schools, to boost overall protection. These resources help schools both prevent and withstand attacks.

• Unify Strategies: Educational institutions should adopt coordinated approaches across sprawling IT estates to close visibility gaps and reduce risks before adversaries can exploit them.

• Relieve Staff Burden: Ransomware takes a heavy toll on IT teams. Schools can reduce pressure and extend their capabilities by partnering with trusted providers for managed detection and response (MDR) and other around-the-clock expertise.

• Strengthen Response: Even with stronger prevention, schools must be prepared to respond when incidents occur. They can recover more quickly by building robust incident response plans, running simulations to prepare for real-world scenarios, and enhancing readiness with 24/7/365 services like MDR.

Data for the State of Ransomware in Education 2025 report comes from a vendor-agnostic survey of 441 IT and cybersecurity leaders – 243 from lower education and 198 from higher education institutions hit by ransomware in the past year.

The organizations surveyed ranged from 100 – 5,000 employees and across 17 countries.

The survey was conducted between January and March 2025, and respondents were asked about their experience of ransomware over the previous 12 months.

Download the State of Ransomware in Education 2025 report on Sophos.com.

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Ugo Onwuaso

Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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Techeconomy Unveils IWD 2026 Power List Celebrating 100 Women Shaping the Future

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6 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, Techeconomy, a leading business news platform in Nigeria, has unveiled its “100 Women Shaping the Future: Techeconomy Power List 2026,” recognizing exceptional women driving innovation, leadership, and impact across technology and the broader digital economy.

Techeconomy

The annual recognition spotlights women who are transforming industries through entrepreneurship, policy leadership, digital innovation, financial inclusion, media, education, and emerging technologies.

The initiative is part of Techeconomy’s commitment to promoting gender inclusion and highlighting female leadership shaping Africa’s technology ecosystem.

The Techeconomy IWD Power List features a diverse group of women, from corporate executives and startup founders to policymakers, ecosystem builders, and social innovators, whose work continues to influence the future of technology, business, and digital transformation in Nigeria and across Africa.

Speaking on the initiative, Joan Aimuengheuwa, the Managing Editor at Techeconomy, noted that the recognition goes beyond celebrating titles, focusing instead on impact, resilience, and the ability to shape the future through innovation and leadership.

According to her, “the women on the list represent different sectors including fintech, banking, healthcare, agriculture, education, communications, and the creative economy, demonstrating the growing role of women in advancing technology-driven development.

The unveiling aligns with the global celebration of International Women’s Day, which highlights the achievements of women and calls for accelerated progress toward gender equality. Across the world, the technology sector continues to push for greater female representation and leadership as part of efforts to build more inclusive digital economies.

Also speaking, Oluwatosin Aloba, the Brand Manager at Techeconomy, said: “Techeconomy IWD 2026 Power List is specially designed to inspire the next generation of female innovators and leaders by showcasing role models who are breaking barriers and redefining possibilities in the technology landscape.

“Techeconomy encouraged industry stakeholders, institutions, and the broader public to celebrate the achievements of these women while continuing to support policies, programs, and investments that expand opportunities for women in technology”, she added.

The full list of the “100 Women Shaping the Future: Techeconomy Power List 2026” is available on the Techeconomy website or visit: https://techeconomy.ng/techeconomy-iwd-2026-power-list-celebrates-100-women-shaping-the-future-of-tech/.

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NITDA, JICA Open iHatch Cohort 5 to Boost State-Level Startup Hubs Nationwide

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6 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), via its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to launch applications for the fifth cohort of the iHatch Startup Incubation Programme, targeting 37 innovation hubs—one per state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

NITDA

The initiative selects hubs as state-level managers to run incubation programmes, addressing uneven support outside Lagos and Abuja. “Nigeria’s startup ecosystem has grown rapidly, but access remains uneven,” said ONDI National Coordinator Victoria Fabunmi. “iHatch builds stronger hubs, standardises quality, and boosts investment readiness across all regions.”

Amid Africa’s $3.42 billion startup funding in 2025, Nigeria’s innovation clusters in major cities, sidelining rural founders. Selected hubs will incubate five startups each for at least one year, providing structured guidance for growth and funding. Hubs gain operational support, resources, and performance rewards—prioritizing ecosystem leadership over cash grants.

Eligibility and Timeline

Eligible hubs must:

Operate for at least one year with local engagement.
Possess infrastructure for incubation activities.

Applications close March 16 at ondi.nitda.gov.ng/#/ihatch.

Fabunmi emphasized: “By equipping hubs with tools, curriculum, and oversight, iHatch ensures consistent outcomes for founders everywhere,” tackling geographic gaps to scale local innovation.

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Canal+ Unveils €100m Rescue Plan to Revive MultiChoice after Subscriber Slump

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1 day ago

March 12, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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French media group Canal+ has announced a €100 million turnaround plan to revive growth at MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay-TV operator, after the DStv owner lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers and suffered a decline in revenue in 2025.

MultiChoice

The move follows Canal+’s full takeover of the South Africa-based broadcaster, which has been squeezed by weaker household purchasing power across Africa and intensifying competition from global streaming platforms.

According to Canal+’s latest financial disclosures, MultiChoice ended 2025 with 14.4 million subscribers, down from 14.9 million a year earlier, while revenue fell 6 per cent to €2.4 billion.

Adjusted earnings before interest and tax dropped 14 per cent to €159 million, prompting Canal+ to describe 2025 as “another challenging year” marked by falling subscriber numbers and an unsustainably high cost base.

The group cited currency depreciation in key markets such as Nigeria and persistent electricity shortages as major headwinds making it harder for households to maintain pay-TV subscriptions.

Canal+ also pointed to problems at Showmax, MultiChoice’s streaming service, describing one of its key contracts as an “expensive failure” and confirming that the arrangement is being shut down as part of a wider refocus on the core pay-TV business.

Under the new “boost plan,” which will roll out from 2026, Canal+ aims to restart subscriber growth and improve profitability across MultiChoice’s footprint by investing in content, pricing, distribution and sales.

On content, the French group says it plans to assemble the “best content on the African continent” by blending premium international programmes with more locally produced films, series and sports tailored to African audiences.

It will also simplify subscription packages and adjust pricing structures to make DStv and related offerings easier for customers to understand and afford.

To expand reach, Canal+ intends to subsidise hardware such as decoders and satellite dishes, lowering entry costs for new users.

In addition, the company will recruit more than 1,000 sales staff across African markets as it shifts MultiChoice towards a more aggressive, “sales-focused” model designed to win back and attract subscribers.

Alongside this investment push, Canal+ is embarking on significant cost-cutting measures, including a voluntary severance plan for some MultiChoice support staff and a restructuring of Irdeto, its technology and cybersecurity subsidiary.

Canal+ now expects to generate over €250 million in synergies by 2026, up from an earlier €150 million estimate, driven by the shutdown of loss-making Showmax contracts, operational restructuring at MultiChoice and rationalisation of company-owned properties.

The cost of delivering these savings is projected at between €70 million and €100 million. Despite the planned reforms, the group still anticipates a slight further decline in MultiChoice’s subscriber base in 2026, though the pace of losses is expected to slow, with adjusted earnings before interest and tax forecast to rise modestly to about €170 million as cost savings begin to offset weaker revenue and higher expenses.

Canal+ gained effective control of MultiChoice on 20 September 2025 after acquiring a majority stake, later buying out remaining shareholders and delisting the company from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in December 2025.

The French media group has said it intends to complete a secondary listing on the JSE before June 2026 to reinforce its presence in Africa’s fast-growing media and entertainment market.

The €100 million boost plan underlines the mounting pressure on traditional pay-TV operators across the continent as currency weakness, rising living costs and rapid expansion of streaming services force a strategic rethink of legacy television business models.

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