To coincide with Jisc’s session at the Association of Colleges (AoC) annual conference, Mark Tysom sets out clear guidance for FE leaders to enhance their institutional cyber security posture
The UK further education sector is facing an unprecedented wave of cyber threats, with 88% of providers reporting a cyber incident in the last 12 months. This rate is more than double the proportion seen in the wider business sector, where 43% of businesses reported incidents, highlighting FE institutions as frequent targets for digital criminals (source DSIT cyber breaches survey 2025-26)
As technology continues to evolve faster than ever the ability of both state actors and cyber criminals to harness new technologies is rapidly determining their effectiveness. For FE leaders, understanding this shifting landscape and addressing critical resource gaps is no longer just an IT issue, it is a matter of business resilience.
The anatomy of the threat: AI and social engineering
As reported in the recently released National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) State of the Cyber Nation report, technology has always influenced cyber security, but what sets today’s landscape apart is the sheer pace of change. Threat actors are actively using AI, automation, and advances in computing power to rapidly identify system vulnerabilities and target victims with accuracy and efficiency.
For the sector, this technological leap mainly translates into two specific types of highly sophisticated attacks:
- The Phishing Epidemic: As captured in DIST’s Cyber Breaches Survey, 96% of FE colleges reported phishing attempts over the past year.
- The single biggest threat facing institutions – designed for targeted phishing or credential theft. Armed with AI tools, attackers can now craft highly convincing, flawless communications tailored to trick recipients into handing over network access.
The strategic value of data and insight
Data and empirical insight are critical strategic anchors required to move FE institutions from a reactive security model to a proactive state of cyber resilience. Participating in sector-wide data initiatives, such as Jisc cyber security self-assessment and benchmarking survey, unlocks two key layers of critical insight:
The resource divide, dedicated staffing and governance
Results from Jisc’s 2025 cyber benchmarking survey highlight a stark operational disparity within UK tertiary education: while 92% of higher education providers benefit from dedicated internal cyber security teams, only 37% of FE colleges employ dedicated cyber security personnel. In most FE environments, cyber responsibilities are absorbed by general IT managers. This resource deficit means the majority of FE colleges rely on non-specialist staff to defend against highly sophisticated attacks.
However, as reported in the DSIT cyber breaches survey, it is encouraging to see progress being made at the leadership level with 82% of FE colleges ensuring a board member, trustee, governor, or senior manager takes explicit responsibility for cyber security.
Translating executive accountability into practical defence continues to pose a challenge when deep technical expertise is scarce on the ground.
Bridging the gap: Collaboration and guidance
Academic institutions play a critical role in strengthening collective cyber defence. For FE leaders looking to bolster their posture despite limited resources, looking outward for support is essential.
Currently, only 67% of FE colleges seek external information or guidance (compared to 74% of primary schools, 76% of secondary schools, and 94% of HE institutions).
Understanding where to find information and support is key and the more FE providers make connections with others, take action based on key sector guidance, and start to think of cyber security as a collective effort rather than an individual struggle, the more secure the sector will be.
Key actions for FE Leaders to bolster institutional cyber posture:
By Mark Tysom, Senior Product Manager in the Core Security Services Team at Jisc