Colleges and universities should assess their cybersecurity compliance posture and incident response readiness and harden their networks as soon as possible in light of elevated threats.

Since June 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has cautioned that Iranian government-affiliated actors routinely target U.S. networks and internet-connected devices. The war in Iran and recent Iranian state-sponsored malicious cyber operations suggest U.S. educational institutions may be more vulnerable than usual. They already face a complex web of overlapping federal and state data breach notification requirements, cybersecurity-related risks to Title IV funding eligibility and lasting reputational harm due to cyberattacks.

Read on to learn more about current cyber threats and what institutions should do to prepare.