How Jamf Safe Internet Protects Students from Web Threats

Introduction

Did you know that Education ranks seventh amongst all industries impacted by cyber threats? This statistic comes by way of the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report based on the number of incidents reported (1,075). When factoring this data by number of data breaches reported (851), where compromised data was exposed, education rises to sixth place.

Education is faring better today compared to last year – when it ranked as fifth and first place respectively based on incidents vs breaches reported. Yet, a closer look at the numbers reveals an interesting fact: the percentage of incidents that successfully lead to data breaches is nearly 80%. When comparing Edu to manufacturing, which comes in as first for both categories, the number of incidents (3,837) that lead to breaches (1,607) is only 42%.

In summary, despite Edu experiencing nearly 1/3 of the incidents and almost half of the data breaches compared to manufacturing, Edu incidents that lead to a data breach are nearly double as the highest targeted industry.

What does this mean for education and cybersecurity?

Institutions continue to pose a high-value target for threat actors. They’re preferred amongst other industries due to security challenges inherent to Edu that make them low-hanging fruit, such as:

• Data-rich environments
• Lack of funding resources
• Use of outdated technology
• Disparate security protections
• Difficulty enforcing compliance

In this blog, we take a closer look at the top three web-based threats that impact the education sector and how they affect student learning outcomes. Moreover, we take a granular look at the technologies behind threat defense – in-network and on-device. Lastly, we highlight how these risk-reducing controls translate into benefits for learners, employee stakeholders and school districts alike.

Top 3 web threats impacting student learning

Cyber threats remain a constant and growing concern for educational institutions on a global scale, underscoring the urgent need for robust endpoint and network defenses. Beyond malware, IT must also navigate challenges like risky content exposure and evolving phishing threats. These three categories of web threats have maintained the top three threat categories for the past few years, with Verizon finding that, combined they account for 80% of data breaches targeting educational services.

1. Malware

Malicious code, in all its various incarnations, is the top threat to student and teacher data, and the primary cause of system intrusions within school districts.

• Ransomware
• Trojans
• Cryptojacking
• Adware
• Spyware

43% of the Top 10 Malware attacks affecting K-12 schools involved Qakbot or CoinMiner.

According to a Center for Internet Security report, the former threat affected Windows PCs, alongside its ties to ransomware groups while the latter cryptojacking threat impacted macOS devices. Combined, they both accounted for nearly half of the network-based threats K-12 schools faced over the course of a year and a half.

2. Risky content

The internet is made up of myriad networks of interconnected websites – like any medium, not all content is suitable for everyone nor acceptable all the time. Content filtering is a critical, often regulated requirement that helps block student access to inappropriate content. But not all filtering software is created equally and nuances in the technologies and intention behind their deployment may further impact student learning outcomes and fracture stakeholder trust.

Over aggressive filtering and blocking can actually serve as a barrier to completing an assignment. – Elizabeth Laird, the Director of Equity in Civic Technology at the Center for Democracy in Technology

Key considerations for implementing balanced content filtering strategies are:

• Prevent inappropriate content
• Maintain student safety
• Integrate with cybersecurity plans
• Support the learning environment
• Enforce regulatory compliance

3. Phishing

While social engineering threats have tumbled several positions from the top spot, increased cyber awareness and hygiene practices shown to combat these types of threats, Verizon still found social engineering to be the cause of 16% of education-related breaches.

77% of that 16% is made up of Phishing.

Susceptibility to phishing attacks is only part of the equation when factoring a campaign’s success. Contributors designed to convince victims to respond to phishing attacks are:

• Increased sophistication
  • Detail oriented
  • Contextual relevance
  • QR code redirection
• Use of GenAI tools
  • Emulate writing styles
  • Creation of deepfakes
  • Manipulate audio
• External factors
  • Easier access to toolkits
    (e.g. ransomware-as-a-service)
• • Targeted attacks
  • Constantly evolving threats
• Internal Vulnerabilities
  • Lack of security awareness training
  • Cybersecurity funding shortfalls
  • Inadequate security controls

Jamf Safe Internet + IT save the (school) day

By leveraging advanced technologies that integrate seamlessly with Jamf MDM, manage and secure K-12 devices – regardless of whether their personal or school-owned, or part of 1:1 or shared device programs. Whether used at school, home or both, Jamf and IT extend student safety with parity across your Apple, Windows, Android and Chromebook device fleet with capabilities like:

• Web Protection Policy
• App Blocking
• Safe Internet Reports
• Organizational Units

Technologies

Strengthening educational security starts with providing seamless protection against evolving malware threats alongside centrally managing endpoints through integration with mobile device management. Powered by a real-time threat intelligence engine, Jamf Safe Internet (JSI), offers holistic, continuously updated protections across a wide range of risk factors.

This intelligence combines MI:RIAM, our very own machine learning (ML) platform, third-party insights via integration with your existing security tooling and Jamf’s experienced threat research team to deliver comprehensive, real-time defenses.

From blocking harmful content to reducing distractions from inappropriate websites, like games or social media. Secure access to educational resources is maintained while on-device content filtering (ODCF) ensures students are safe wherever learning takes place.

Content filter: Control access to content using pre-defined rule sets, uphold bandwidth restrictions and/or customize scopes with granular rules designed to meet your unique needs.

On-device protection: Threat intelligence, powered by ML, stopping malware and mitigating risk in real-time – from network-based and endpoint threats alike.

Privacy guard: Identify and report the security information necessary to support stakeholders, not surveil them, with always-on, real-time endpoint health insights.

Risk reduction benefits

• Stops 0-day phishing URLs
• Prevents malware/suspicious apps
• Blocks suspicious/illegal content
• Maintains student privacy
• Cross-platform support

Key features include device risk assessments to block active exploits, app risk assessments to neutralize malicious code in apps and web threat assessments to prevent access to 0-day phishing URLs.

Jamf Threat Labs and ML incorporate findings from zero-day research directly into defensive policies for rapid incident response to emerging threats – known or unknown. Powerful, yet flexible, scheduled policies allow IT admins to adjust content access based on contextual variables, such as time of day or usage needs, so that learning occurs consistently and without compromise to security or student privacy. And because enforcement occurs on-device, policy changes are implemented instantly, offering real-time protection and adaptability to evolving conditions to prioritize the needs families and schools right when they’re most needed.

Summary

Education is a high-value target for cyberattacks.

Because of their data-rich environments, lack of dedicated funding and disparate security protections, threat actors continue to see institutions as fertile grounds to target. Blending sophisticated attacks with malware, phishing and unrestricted access to risky content, modern threats continue to pose risk to student data as they disrupt learning and challenge institutional trust.

Jamf Safe Internet delivers real-time protections – driven by machine learning – safeguarding students, teachers and Edu stakeholders across multiple operating systems and device types, ensuring secure access to educational resources.

It’s powerful yet flexible, capable of adapting to evolving threats while allowing for levels of customizability that suit your institution’s unique requirements. In short, Jamf helps IT teams create a safe, private and compliant digital environment — wherever learning happens.