Keeper Security: 41% of Schools Have Experienced AI-Related Cyber Incidents

Keeper Security, the leading cybersecurity provider of zero-trust and zero-knowledge Privileged Access Management (PAM) software protecting passwords and passkeys, privileged accounts, secrets and remote connections, today released a new research report named AI in Schools: Balancing Adoption with Risk. The study reveals how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping education—and the growing cybersecurity risks to students, teachers and administrators—as adoption accelerates.

Surveying more than 1,400 education leaders across primary, secondary and higher education in the United Kingdom and United States, the research finds that while AI is already integrated into classrooms and faculty work, development of policies and protections needed to manage new risks is still nascent:

• 41% of schools have experienced AI-related cyber incidents, including phishing campaigns, misinformation and harmful student-generated content.

• Nearly 30% of schools reported instances of harmful AI content, such as deepfakes created by students.

• While 86% of institutions allow students to use AI tools and 91% permit faculty use – most schools only have guidelines with no formalised policies.

• 90% of education leaders expressed some level of concern about AI-related cybersecurity threats.

• Only one in four respondents felt “very confident” in recognising AI-enabled threats like deepfakes or AI-driven phishing.

“AI is redefining the future of education, creating extraordinary opportunities for innovation and efficiency,” said Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-founder of Keeper Security. “But opportunity without security is unsustainable. Schools must adopt a zero-trust, zero-knowledge approach to ensure that sensitive information is safeguarded and that trust in digital learning environments endures.”

Keeper: Delivering Cybersecurity Solutions to Thwart Threats

Keeper delivers zero-trust and zero-knowledge cybersecurity solutions designed to meet the stringent requirements of the education and public sectors. Its unified PAM platform, KeeperPAM®, integrates enterprise password management, secrets management, zero-trust network access and endpoint privilege management with agentic AI-driven threat detection and response. Keeper’s modern, cloud-native solutions enable schools to protect sensitive data, streamline compliance and reduce the risk of damaging breaches.

Keeper is certified to the highest standards, including FedRAMP and GovRAMP Authorisations, providing trust, scalability and ease of deployment for public institutions.

“Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office function—it is central to protecting students, enabling educators and preserving the integrity of institutions,” said Anne Cutler, Cybersecurity Evangelist at Keeper Security. “Critical decisions made in the early stages of AI adoption will shape not just how the technology is used in classrooms, but how confidently society embraces it for generations to come.”

As part of its commitment to cybersecurity in education, Keeper launched the Flex Your Cyber® public service initiative in 2024 in partnership with KnowBe4, the National Cybersecurity Alliance, CYBER.ORG and Atlassian Williams Racing. The programme offers engaging, age-appropriate resources for students, parents and educators to promote safer and more secure online practices. Learn more at FlexYourCyber.com.

The full AI in Schools report and infographic is available for download. For more information on Keeper’s education-focused solutions, visit the K-12 education and higher education pages.