Australia's national cyber security coordinator has warned schools are prime targets for ransomware groups. 

Air Marshal Darren Goldie, addressing a seminar hosted by NAB, expressed concerns that schools, due to their limited resources and personnel, are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, mirroring a trend observed in the United States.

“Amidst growing ransomware attacks, schools are becoming more prominent targets,” he said, according to a NAB blog post.

“We’re seeing this play out in the US where it’s a significant problem.

“If you consider the profile of a school, they are the same exact size of a successful medium-sized business, with a couple of thousand individuals all carrying personal devices with personal information connected to a school network.”

Schools typically lack dedicated, full-time cybersecurity teams and often lack the resources necessary for round-the-clock threat response.

“Unfortunately, these are the targets that cyber criminals can attack easily and demand a ransom,” Air Marshal Goldie said.

While individual Australian schools have previously fallen victim to ransomware attacks, the heightened threat now underscores the need for improved cybersecurity measures within the education sector.