This morning, Comparitech researchers published a study looking at education ransomware in Q3 2026. According to the findings, ransomware attacks on the education sector increased by 54% from the previous quarter.
Other key findings include:
- 77 attacks in total
- 25 confirmed attacks
- 52 unconfirmed attacks
- 13,000 records are known to have been breached in the confirmed attacks
- Median ransom demand: $510,000 – down slightly from $583,000 in Q2 2026
- The ransomware strains that made the most attack claims were Qilin (12) and The Gentlemen (9), followed by INC, Panzer, and KRYBIT (4 each)
- Qilin claimed the most confirmed attacks (5), followed by INC (3), The Gentlemen, Interlock, and NightSpire (2 each)
- The US saw the most attacks with 31 in total – a 182 percent increase from Q2 2026
Rebecca Moody, Head of Data Research at Comparitech, provided the following comment:
“While we noted a 29% surge in ransomware attacks across all sectors from Q2 to Q3 this year, attacks on the education sector were far higher at 54%. What’s also clear from the details we have about the confirmed attacks in Q3 is that ransomware remains incredibly disruptive and costly for educational institutions. Many attacks witnessed not only resulted in extensive downtime and/or school closures but also large data breaches.
As hackers continue to focus on maximizing their impact through system encryption and data theft, the education sector remains an attractive target because of how impactful both of these extortion tactics are. We’re not just talking about hackers taking down the internet and accessing student/staff data, but also having the ability to take control of key systems, such as school cameras, locks, and HVAC systems. This was something of huge concern in an attack confirmed over the weekend at Jerome School District in the US. Classes were canceled yesterday as a result.
It’s crucial schools, colleges, and universities continue to cover the basics — patching vulnerabilities, updating software, carrying out regular backups and employee training, and having clear plans in place if systems are infected. The figures we’re seeing this quarter (and the high volume we’re seeing in October already) demonstrate that ransomware remains a primary threat to the education sector.”
The full study can be read here: https://www.comparitech.com/news/education-ransomware-roundup-q3-2026-stats-on-attacks-ransoms-and-data-breaches/
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This entry was posted on October 20, 2026 at 9:39 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Comparitech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Comparitech Education Ransomware Roundup: Q3 2026 stats on attacks, ransoms, and data breaches
This morning, Comparitech researchers published a study looking at education ransomware in Q3 2026. According to the findings, ransomware attacks on the education sector increased by 54% from the previous quarter.
Other key findings include:
Rebecca Moody, Head of Data Research at Comparitech, provided the following comment:
“While we noted a 29% surge in ransomware attacks across all sectors from Q2 to Q3 this year, attacks on the education sector were far higher at 54%. What’s also clear from the details we have about the confirmed attacks in Q3 is that ransomware remains incredibly disruptive and costly for educational institutions. Many attacks witnessed not only resulted in extensive downtime and/or school closures but also large data breaches.
As hackers continue to focus on maximizing their impact through system encryption and data theft, the education sector remains an attractive target because of how impactful both of these extortion tactics are. We’re not just talking about hackers taking down the internet and accessing student/staff data, but also having the ability to take control of key systems, such as school cameras, locks, and HVAC systems. This was something of huge concern in an attack confirmed over the weekend at Jerome School District in the US. Classes were canceled yesterday as a result.
It’s crucial schools, colleges, and universities continue to cover the basics — patching vulnerabilities, updating software, carrying out regular backups and employee training, and having clear plans in place if systems are infected. The figures we’re seeing this quarter (and the high volume we’re seeing in October already) demonstrate that ransomware remains a primary threat to the education sector.”
The full study can be read here: https://www.comparitech.com/news/education-ransomware-roundup-q3-2026-stats-on-attacks-ransoms-and-data-breaches/
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This entry was posted on October 20, 2026 at 9:39 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Comparitech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.