Get Guardian on GoogleCybercriminals are stepping up their activities, with online learning platforms emerging as a new favourite target.
As digital education continues to expand globally, hackers are exploiting weak security systems to steal personal data, disrupt classes, and infiltrate institutional networks. The rise in attacks underscores growing concerns about the vulnerability of the education sector in the digital age.
Specifically, nearly 63 per cent of online learners across the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region faced cyber incidents in the past year.
According to a new study conducted by Kaspersky, it surveyed 1,864 respondents aged 18 to 65 who participated in an online or hybrid education format in the past 12 months.
The surveyed respondents are from 18 countries.
Kaspersky found out that the most common digital incidents in online education included suspicious messages or links (27 per cent), fake apps or websites (23 per cent), and scams through online communities or messaging groups (22 per cent).
The report also identified fake courses or providers (20 per cent), malware in educational files or apps (18 per cent), and personal data exposure (16 per cent). The same proportion encountered unrecognised certificates (16 per cent), and account hacking represented 11 per cent.
Vice President for Consumer Business at Kaspersky, Marina Titova, said: “We see a growing demand for advanced training courses and university programmes delivered online. This rapid digitalisation, coupled with an evolving threat landscape, creates a clear need for comprehensive digital‑life protection.
Kaspersky experts said they had identified several types of spam mailings advertising online education services. One of these tactics was aimed at parents, urging them to switch their children to online schooling by criticising traditional schools and asking recipients to forward the message.
In another example, e-mails are aimed at adult working people, suggesting they go back to school without quitting their day job; however, images in those e-mails were mismatched, and links redirected users to unrelated third‑party stores. Additionally, Kaspersky’s experts detected various spam e-mails offering student‑loan deals.
The study also highlighted that half (51 per cent) of those who experienced an incident in the META region lost time, 44 per cent received unwanted advertising, 38 per cent lost trust in educational platforms, and almost a third (29 per cent) suffered financial loss.
Further, it noted that breaches could derail online classes, erode trust in digital education, and tarnish the reputation of schools and universities.
Analysts warned that unless institutions invest in stronger defences, such as regular vulnerability checks, advanced encryption, and cybersecurity training for staff and students, the education sector risks becoming a persistent target.
