Sophos has launched a report which looks at the extent and impact of ransomware attacks on educational institutions globally during 2020.
Sophos State of Ransomware in Education 2021 focuses on attacks such as the recent attack on the NSW Department of Education and the REvil ransomware attack on Kaseya that hit schools in New Zealand.
Education, together with retail, faced the highest level of ransomware attacks during 2020, with 44pc of organisations hit.
The total bill for rectifying a ransomware attack was, on average, AU$3.64 million – the highest across all sectors surveyed, and 48pc above the global average.
Over half (58pc) of the education organisations hit by ransomware said the attackers had succeeded in encrypting their data.
Over a third (35pc) of those with encrypted data gave in to the attackers’ demands and paid the ransom.
The average ransom payment was $150,080 (lower than the global average of $227,459).
However, those who paid recovered on average only around two-thirds (68pc) of their data, leaving almost a third inaccessible; and just 11pc got all their encrypted data back.
