School Business Insider Inside a Cyber Attack: Lessons for Schools from the Front Lines
Sep 9, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Johnty Mongan, Global Head of Cyber Risk Management at Gallagher Cyber Risk Management, reveals critical insights into the increasing threat of cyber attacks on schools. He explains why schools are prime targets for criminals and the devastating impacts of such attacks. Johnty covers the key steps schools can take to defend against these threats, emphasizing the importance of training and tactical safeguards like multi-factor authentication. His expertise sheds light on the chaos of initial responses and the crucial long-term effects on communities.
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Why Schools Are Prime Targets
- Schools hold highly personal student and staff data, which makes attacks uniquely leverageable.
- That emotional leverage raises the likelihood criminals target education over other sectors.
Attackers Conduct Long Reconnaissance
- Modern attacks involve long reconnaissance where criminals exfiltrate terabytes before striking.
- Double extortion (encrypt + threaten to publish stolen data) is now common in education breaches.
Cloud Brings Scale And Systemic Risk
- Cloud consolidation creates systemic risk: one platform flaw can hit many schools.
- Large third-party providers may also offer stronger security budgets than isolated on-prem setups.