Ransomware Attacks Targeting Universities on the Rise

Comparitech's H1 2026 Education Ransomware Roundup found an 8% increase in attacks against higher education, driven largely by The Gentlemen group whose attacks on education rose 275%; there were 104 reported ransomware incidents (36 confirmed by victims), the US was the hardest hit with 34 confirmed victims, median ransom demands rose to $420,620, and a notable Mount Royal University incident involved a $1.9M demand, alleged theft of over 10TB and deleted drives.