The most recurrent vulnerability in the country is information disclosure, affecting 75% of entities, a figure aligned with the regional trend of 72%. The exposure of personal data, academic records, and financial records makes institutions attractive targets, especially during the back-to-school period, when digital activity intensifies.
A culture of security from the classroom Eli Faskha, CEO of Soluciones Seguras, highlighted that defense against these threats does not lie solely in technology, but in creating a strong culture of security. According to Faskha, training students from early stages on the concepts of digital identity and privacy empowers new generations in an automated and complex environment.
Recommendations for a secure infrastructure To mitigate the impact of cyberattacks in the education sector, the company recommends a comprehensive approach that includes:
- Continuous training programs to detect phishing and promote the responsible use of AI.
- Network segmentation to separate administrative traffic from student and guest traffic.
- Periodic cloud backups to prevent data loss from ransomware attacks.
- Use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) and robust password management.
- Implementation of secure remote access via VPN or SASE.
Back to School 2026: The challenge of stopping cyberattacks in the education sector Experts urge schools and universities to implement multi-factor authentication protocols and network segmentation to protect sensitive data from students and teachers.
The report indicates a sustained increase in cyberattacks in the education sector, where criminals use sophisticated tactics that combine ransomware, data extortion, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools.
These incidents not only put sensitive information from the educational community at risk but also threaten the operational continuity of institutions, potentially leading to class suspensions and the paralysis of academic platforms.
Critical statistics for Panama and the region Figures from Check Point, a strategic partner of Soluciones Seguras, indicate that in Latin America, the education sector is the most targeted industry, averaging 3,706 weekly attacks per organization.
In the local context, Panamanian organizations face an average of 2,595 weekly attacks.
