Telecom
Most Educational Organizations Paid More Than the Original Ransom Demand – Sophos Survey
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions that defeat cyberattacks, on Thursday released findings from its annual sector survey report, “The State of Ransomware in Education 2024.”
According to the report, the median ransom payment was $6.6 million for lower education and $4.4 million for higher education organizations.
In addition, the survey states that 55% of lower education respondents and 67% of higher education respondents paid more than the initial demand.
Ransomware attacks are causing more of a strain as only 30% of ransomware victims surveyed in both lower and higher education were able to fully recover in a week or less, down from last year’s 33% (lower education) and 40% (higher education).
This slowing recovery rate is likely due to education organizations operating with limited teams and resources, making it harder for them to coordinate recovery efforts.
“Unfortunately, schools, universities and other educational institutions are targets that are beholden to municipalities, communities and the students themselves, which inherently creates high pressure situations if they are hit and destabilized by ransomware.
“Educational institutions feel a sense of responsibility to remain open and continue providing their services to their communities.
“These two factors could be contributing to why victims feel so much pressure to pay,” said Chester Wisniewski, director, field CTO, Sophos.
“We also know that ransomware attackers have upped the ante when it comes to getting paid. Compromising their victims’ backups is now a mainstream element of ransomware attacks, giving adversaries the opportunity to subsequently increase the ransom demand when it is clear that the data cannot be recovered without the decryption key.”
In fact, 95% of respondents said that cybercriminals tried to compromise their backups during the attack, with 71% being successful – the second highest backup compromise rate across all industry sectors. Having backups compromised also considerably increases recovery costs, with the total bill coming in five times higher in lower education and four times higher in higher education.
Despite difficult dealings with ransomware, the overall attack rate dropped over the last year. Sixty-three percent of lower education organizations and 66% of higher education organizations were hit by ransomware attacks – down from 80% and 79%, respectively.
At the same time, the rate of data encryption has increased slightly, with eighty-five percent of attacks on lower education and 77% of attacks on higher education organizations resulting in data encryption, slightly up from the 81% and 73%, respectively, reported in the 2023 survey.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals are not only encrypting data, they’re also stealing it, using it as leverage to further monetize the attack. Twenty-two percent of lower education organizations that had data encrypted said the data was also stolen, together with 18% in higher education.
The survey reveals that exploited vulnerabilities were the leading root cause of attacks in education, providing cybercriminals with a way into the network for 44% of lower education and 42% of higher education ransomware attacks.
Based on this Sophos survey data, schools and other educational organizations could benefit from a layered security approach that includes vulnerability scanning and patching prioritization guidance to reduce their attack surface, endpoint protection with anti-ransomware capabilities that automatically detect and stop attacks, and 24/7 human-led managed detection and response (MDR) services to neutralize advanced human-led attacks, ideally leveraging telemetry from backup solutions to detect and stop adversaries before they can cause damage.
“While there appears to be some positive progress towards combatting ransomware in the education sector, it’s concerning that the rate of data encryption continues to increase year after year, which suggests educational organizations need to continue working towards improving their ransomware resilience.
“With stretched resources and limited budgets, education organizations need to focus on the controls that will have the greatest impact. With the median ransomware recovery cost for education now hitting $3 million, it’s clear that investing in strong prevention and protection solution can considerably reduce the overall financial impact of cyber to educational organizations,” said Wisniewski.
Sophos’ report this year incorporates new areas of study: insight into the role of law enforcement in ransomware remediation for education providers.
Ninety-nine percent of lower education and 98% of higher education organizations engaged with law enforcement and/or official government bodies following a ransomware attack. As a result, 64% of lower education organizations and 66% of higher education organizations benefitted from advice about dealing with the attack. Sixty-one percent of lower and higher education organizations received help and support investigating the attack, and nearly 49% of lower education organizations and 48% of higher education organizations sought law enforcement’s help recovering data encrypted in the attack.
Data for the State of Ransomware in Education 2024 report comes from a vendor-agnostic survey of 600 cybersecurity/IT leaders working in the education sector conducted between January and February 2024.
Respondents were based in 14 countries across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. All respondents represent organizations with between 100 and 5,000 employees.
Read the full State of Ransomware in Education 2024 report on Sophos.com for additional global findings and data by sector.
At the recently concluded NextNow Business Forum in Victoria Island, MTN Nigeria electrified the business community with a live demonstration of its forthcoming Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS), a solution engineered to redefine how Nigerian enterprises connect with their customers.
Unlike traditional communication systems, MTN’s CPaaS is built for the realities of a mobile-first market. The platform unifies SMS, voice, WhatsApp, email, and more into a single, intuitive interface. This approach is especially significant in Nigeria, with over 107 million internet users, 45.4% of the total population, according to Data Report. This figure underscores the necessity for businesses to meet customers where they are.
During the demo, attendees witnessed how CPaaS enables two-way, real-time conversations between brands and customers. The platform’s support for rich media, instant analytics, and seamless integration with business workflows drew particular attention. These features are designed to empower businesses with data-driven insights and the agility to personalise every interaction, whether it’s a service notification, marketing campaign, or customer support exchange.
Akinbulejo Onabolu, Head of Enterprise Segment at MTN Nigeria, articulated the vision: “CPaaS gives enterprises the flexibility to interact with their customers on their preferred platforms; whether it’s chat, voice, or messaging, in a way that feels personal and immediate. We’re looking forward to the value this will unlock for businesses across industries once it launches.”
The fireside chat added depth to the conversation, with Omowunmi Olatunbosun, Head of SME Segment at MTN Nigeria, and Stephen Agbi of Bayobab, highlighting how digital engagement bridges the gap between businesses and audiences.
They emphasised that today’s consumers demand immediacy, relevance, and ease, qualities that CPaaS is built to deliver.
The stakes for digital transformation in Nigeria are high. In a report by Punch, the country’s enterprise tech market is projected to reach $22 billion by 2027, reflecting a surge in demand for scalable, cloud-based solutions that drive efficiency and customer loyalty.
The CPAAS Acceleration Alliance have estimated that globally, the CPaaS market is expected to grow from $14.7 billion in 2025 to $72.4 billion by 2035, at a compound annual growth rate of 18.4%, a testament to the platform’s transformative potential.
The event’s closing keynote from META’s Korhan Yunak reinforced the strategic value of digital channels like WhatsApp, which are now indispensable for business communication and engagement at scale.
As MTN Nigeria prepares for the Q3 2025 launch, the anticipation is unmistakable. With its promise of flexibility, intelligence, and seamless integration, MTN’s CPaaS platform is set to become the backbone of next-generation business-customer engagement in Nigeria, enabling enterprises to not just communicate but to connect, adapt, and grow in a digital-first era.
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
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