The Education Sector Must Adopt MFA Protection Strategies

In recent years, the education sector has actively driven digital transformation. From online learning platforms and academic administration systems to learning management systems (LMS) and remote teaching tools, schools now depend heavily on cloud services and digital accounts.

However, as convenience increases, hackers have also begun to view educational institutions as high-value targets. According to the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, data breach incidents in the education sector have continued to rise year after year, with a significant portion linked to compromised account credentials.

For attackers, student and faculty accounts are often the weakest link:

• Students often reuse the same passwords across different platforms.
• Faculty and staff often lack sufficient cybersecurity awareness and are vulnerable to phishing emails.
• Multiple authentication risks exist between campus systems and third-party platforms.

Once an account is compromised, the consequences may include:

• Large-scale leakage of student personal data
• Theft of academic research data
• Disruption or shutdown of school IT systems, impacting online courses and examinations

Such incidents not only trigger a crisis of trust, but also directly affect school operations and institutional reputation.

 

Real Cybersecurity Incidents in Taiwan’s Education Sector

Case 1: Administrative Systems at 7 High Schools Breached—20,000 Student and Parent Records Stolen

In 2024, seven high schools in Taiwan were hacked through their administrative systems, resulting in the exposure of approximately 20,000 records containing sensitive personal data of students and parents, including names, phone numbers, and dates of birth. Following public disclosure, the Ministry of Education urgently intervened and mandated enhanced cybersecurity inspections.

Related news:
Exclusive – Taiwanese student data sold on the dark web after hackers breached administrative systems at seven schools

This incident  underscores a widespread weakness in education: reliance on single-factor username-and-password logins without stronger identity protection. Had MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) been enforced, attackers would have found it significantly more difficult to gain access even if credentials were compromised.

Case 2: NTU Teacher Training Center Lacked Identity Verification — Personal Data Easily Accessible

In 2021, a student posted in the Facebook group “NTU Student Exchange Board,” reporting that within the NTU Teacher Training Center’s course registration system, entering a student ID alone was sufficient to view personal information such as national ID numbers, phone numbers, and household addresses—without any identity verification process.

While such vulnerabilities may not immediately result in an attack, if exploited by malicious actors, the consequences could be just as severe as in Case 1.

Related report:
Hidden Vulnerabilities Around Us – A Review of Campus Information Security

This case further demonstrates that without stricter authentication and access control mechanisms, educational systems remain in a persistently high-risk state.

Case 3: Cyberattack on Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) 

In mid-January 2025, attackers launched a major cyberattack on Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Attackers  breached the university’s core network systems, forcing the institution to shut down its entire network infrastructure as an emergency response. 

As a result, online learning platforms, examination systems, and internal IT services were completely disrupted. Students were unable to access course materials or participate in ongoing examinations, and teaching activities were suspended or postponed for several days. 

Key impacts included: 

• Core teaching and administrative systems were rendered inoperable, disrupting campus-wide operations 

• Academic schedules and examination timelines had to be adjusted 

• No large-scale data breach occurred, but the attack caused major operational disruptions and damaged trust. 

 This incident shows that even top European technical universities face cyber threats. Weak identity verification and access controls in core systems can lead to data exposure risks and full campus shutdowns. 

Related report: Classes remain cancelled at Eindhoven University of Technology following weekend cyberattack 

 

The Role and Importance of MFA in the Education Sector

These cases clearly show that relying solely on usernames and passwords no longer meets the cybersecurity needs of educational institutions. The value of MFA lies in its ability to:

• Reduce the impact of credential leaks: Even if a password is stolen, attackers cannot log in without additional authentication factors
• Secure remote and cross-device access: Students attending classes from dormitories, homes, or cafés can still have their identities verified
• Mitigate phishing attacks: Even if users mistakenly enter credentials on phishing sites, MFA prevents attackers from exploiting them

MFA is especially critical in educational environments, where large user populations and interconnected systems create a complex security landscape Without MFA, institutions are effectively exposed to elevated risk.

 

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Keypasco MFA

Simply enabling MFA is not enough—education systems must pair it with a Zero Trust approach. Best practice is to adopt a Zero Trust approach—never assuming any user or device is inherently trustworthy, and requiring verification for every login attempt.

The MFA solution provided by Keypasco is specifically designed to meet the needs of the education sector:

• Patented dual-channel authentication architecture: Separates login and encrypted authentication channels to effectively defend against Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM), Man-in-the-Browser (MiTB), and phishing attacks
• Device binding + behavioral verification: Verifies not only credentials, but also whether access occurs from trusted devices and locations
• Cross-platform support: Integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and localized academic administration systems
• Excellent user experience: Simple verification processes minimize disruption to teaching and learning

Had such an MFA mechanism been deployed earlier in the aforementioned cases, the breach involving 20,000 personal records could very likely have been prevented.

How to Implement MFA to Strengthen Account Security in Education

• Prioritize the protection of critical accounts: Start with high-value targets such as academic administration systems and LMS administrator accounts.
• Gradually expand MFA coverage: Extend protection to all faculty and students, ensuring MFA is enabled for remote learning platforms and library databases.
• Adopt a Zero Trust architecture: Require identity verification for every user, device, and location—no exceptions.
• Strengthen cybersecurity awareness: Technology alone is not enough; students and faculty must understand the importance of MFA and safe digital practices.

The education sector has become a high-value target for cybercriminals. Real-world cases in Taiwan show that without MFA and Zero Trust mechanisms, account breaches and data theft will continue to occur. The next major breach could hit any campus that relies on weak authentication. Don’t wait for a warning sign—strengthen your institution today.

With Keypasco’s MFA and Zero Trust solutions, educational institutions can establish a more comprehensive account security framework and avoid becoming the next victim.

👉 Want to learn how to implement MFA and Zero Trust on campus?
Contact Keypasco to implement MFA and Zero Trust solutions purpose-built for the education sector—protect your students, your data, and your reputation.