For decades, universities have worried about some familiar challenges: government funding, changing student demand, geopolitical tensions and the ongoing race for global talent.
In 2026, another challenge is rapidly moving up the priority list: cyber security.
New analysis from CrowdStrike’s 2026 Threat Hunting Report, reviewed by The Koala News ahead of its release, suggests universities and research institutions are becoming some of the fastest-growing targets for cyber adversaries worldwide. The report found intrusion activity targeting the academic sector increased by 17 per cent year-on-year, the largest rise recorded across all industries.
For a sector built on openness, collaboration and the free exchange of ideas, the finding raises uncomfortable questions. The same qualities that make universities globally connected centres of innovation are also creating new vulnerabilities.
CrowdStrike’s analysts describe universities as increasingly attractive targets because they sit at the intersection of research, technology and intellectual property. Modern campuses are no longer only places where students attend lectures and researchers publish papers. They are home to advanced artificial intelligence projects, biomedical breakthroughs, climate research, engineering innovation and work that can have significant economic and strategic value.
In other words, the global race for knowledge has created a new battlefield.
The report highlights that attackers are increasingly targeting the trusted systems universities rely on every day. One growing tactic is voice phishing, or “vishing”, where criminals impersonate IT staff or trusted contacts to convince students, academics and administrators to hand over login details.
CrowdStrike reported that vishing activity doubled in early 2026, with some attackers moving from gaining access to stealing data within minutes. Once inside university cloud environments, cyber criminals can potentially access research files, compromise sensitive information, target financial systems or exploit valuable institutional data.
For international education, the risks are even more complex.
Universities are built around global mobility. Researchers travel internationally, students connect from around the world, and academic partnerships increasingly cross borders. But that openness also creates additional points of exposure.
The CrowdStrike report highlights one example involving OVERCAST PANDA, a threat actor that allegedly compromised laptops belonging to foreign researchers and conference participants while they were travelling in China. Some compromises occurred during periods when devices were left unattended, including while attendees were away from hotel rooms.
For a sector that depends on international conferences, research collaboration and academic exchange, these examples represent a new challenge: protecting people and information beyond the physical boundaries of campus.
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is adding another layer of complexity.
CrowdStrike found cyber adversaries are increasingly using AI tools to accelerate reconnaissance, identify vulnerabilities and develop attack methods more quickly. At the same time, universities themselves are among the leading developers and users of AI technologies, making them attractive targets not only because of the information they hold, but because of the computing power and research capability they provide.
Some attackers are already exploiting university cloud resources for financial gain, including unauthorised use of computing capacity and access to large language models.
For many years, universities have rightly championed collaboration without borders. International research partnerships, global classrooms and academic exchange are central to the mission of higher education.
However, the security environment in which those activities take place is changing.
Universities may increasingly need to consider cybersecurity alongside traditional international engagement risks. Travel protocols for researchers, additional protections for visiting academics, stronger identity verification processes and cybersecurity training for students and staff could become more common.
Research partnerships involving emerging technologies may also face greater scrutiny from governments, regulators and funding agencies as nations seek to protect strategically important knowledge.
The challenge for universities will be finding the balance between security and openness. Too much restriction risks undermining the very collaboration that drives discovery. Too little protection creates opportunities for those seeking to exploit the global knowledge system.
CrowdStrike’s report reinforces a simple message: cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue sitting in the background of university operations. It is becoming a core part of how institutions protect their research, their students and their role in the global education ecosystem.
The international education sector has always been built on connection. In the years ahead, protecting those connections may become just as important as creating them.
A copy of the report can be download here.
