Back to School, Back in the Crosshairs: What Higher Ed Security Teams Need to Watch This Fall
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET
Back-to-school season is a predictable spike for attackers. New accounts get provisioned, new devices come online, staff are stretched thin, and faculty and students begin to check emails more frequently. Phishing is still the number one entry point into higher ed, and the lures arriving this fall are harder to spot than the ones from last year. AI-enhanced phishing campaigns see a 70% higher click rate than traditional phishing, according to IBM, and automated lures have hit click-through rates of 54% against 12% for standard phishing.
In this roundtable discussion, security leaders from two universities share what's changed on their campuses heading into this school year, what a convincing modern phishing email actually looks like, and where native and legacy email defenses fall short. Join this session for a practical checklist you can act on before the semester ramps up.
Attendees will learn:
- Which attack trends are hitting higher ed hardest heading into the fall semester
- How AI is changing the phishing and scam attempts landing in student and staff inboxes
- What campuses are prioritizing right now, and what you can do to stay ahead
Date: 09/24/26
Time: 11:00 AM PT
