As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become commonplace in classrooms, new research from cybersecurity firm Keeper Security warns that schools are facing increasing cyber risks without sufficient safeguards in place.

The report, titled AI in Schools: Balancing Adoption with Risk, surveyed more than 1,400 education leaders across primary, secondary and higher education institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States. It found that 41 per cent of schools have experienced AI-related cyber incidents, including phishing campaigns, misinformation and harmful student-generated content such as deepfakes.

Nearly 30 per cent of respondents said their schools had already encountered harmful AI content. While 86 per cent of institutions allow students to use AI tools and 91 per cent permit faculty to do so, most have only informal guidelines rather than formalised AI or cybersecurity policies.

Growing Cybersecurity Concerns in Education

The study found that 90 per cent of education leaders were concerned about AI-related cybersecurity threats, yet only one in four felt “very confident” in recognising AI-enabled threats such as deepfakes or AI-driven phishing attempts.

“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 Security develops zero-trust and zero-knowledge Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions that protect passwords, passkeys, privileged accounts, secrets and remote connections. Its unified platform, KeeperPAM®, combines password and secrets management with zero-trust network access, endpoint privilege management and AI-driven threat detection.

Strengthening Cyber Resilience

The company said its solutions are certified to high cybersecurity standards, including FedRAMP and GovRAMP Authorisations, allowing public institutions to scale securely and meet compliance requirements.

“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.”

Education Outreach

As part of its efforts to promote cybersecurity awareness, Keeper launched the Flex Your Cyber® initiative in 2024, in partnership with KnowBe4, the National Cybersecurity Alliance, CYBER.ORG and Atlassian Williams Racing. The programme provides resources for students, parents and teachers to encourage safer online behaviour.

Keeper Security said it will continue to collaborate with education and public sector partners to strengthen digital defences as AI adoption accelerates. The full AI in Schools: Balancing Adoption with Risk report is available on Keeper Security’s website.