- The educational sector in Ghana has suffered a major cybersecurity hack after officials uncovered 505 employee details from public educational institutions leaked on the dark web.
- The nation’s Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, announced this breach on Tuesday during a national cybersecurity event in Accra.
- The minister noted that the global education sector faces about 2,507 data breaches weekly, making it one of the primary targets of cyberattacks.
The Ghanaian education sector has experienced a major data breach after local authorities found the details of 505 employees of public educational institutions on the dark net. Ghana’s National Cyber Security Emergency Response Team discovered the leaked employee credentials through detailed surveillance operations that started in January 2025.
It should also be noted that the team identified 5,000 stealer logs from academic institutions, some of which were for sale on various dark net marketplaces. Again, this took place from January to October 2025.
Ghana’s Educational Sector Faces Cybersecurity Hack
The data breach underscores the increasing risks facing Ghanaian schools and universities as they continually adopt digital systems for administrative and academic operations.
Haruna Iddrisu, Ghana’s Education Minister, announced this breach on Tuesday during a recent National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which took place in Accra. Notably, Professor Diyawu Mumin, the National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS)’s Executive Director, delivered Minister Iddrisu’s speech at the conference hosted by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).
According to the Minister of Education, education is a prime target for cyber criminals because education possesses extremely large amounts of sensitive credentials, including student financial information, medical information and even research.
As a result, he has encouraged educational institutions to elevate their digital security systems while also increasing awareness of digital safety among students and staff.
In addition, Professor Mumin stated that the worldwide education sector experiences a world average of 2507 data hacks each world average occurs, making it one of the most attacked sectors globally. Ghana’s education system currently serves over 9.5 million students across both basic and high schools. The nation’s education system has been increasingly depending on virtual platforms for academic and administrative purposes.
In his speech, Minister Iddrisu warned that cyber threats like cyberbullying, data theft, sextortion, online fraud, and certificate forgery are constantly undermining the credibility of the nation’s education system. Mind you, these crimes have severe human consequences, as seen in a recent case where hackers were jailed for stealing children’s photos and posting them on the dark web.
Coming back to this news, professor Mumin added that, besides threatening individual privacy, these crimes destroy public trust in educational institutions and institutional integrity.
Officials Respond to the Data Hack
As a response, the federal government has launched detailed policy reviews to mitigate the weaknesses. The Ministry of Education created a multi-stakeholder technical committee, which constituted the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the CSA, and other notable partners. This group was set up to conduct a detailed review of Ghana’s Information and Communications Technology in EdTech Strategy and Education Policy.
Importantly, this updated policy framework focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, facilitating inclusion in high schools and tertiary institutions, and supporting safe virtual learning environments.
At the moment, CSA and the Ministry of Education are collaborating to investigate potentially creating the Education Sector Computer Emergency Response Team (EduCERT). This team will strengthen Ghana’s institutional response to cybercrime activities.
In his comments during the conference, the present Acting Director General for the CSA asserted the seriousness and urgency of the recent developments. He stated that by the end of 2025, the projected cost of cybercrime throughout the world would be approximately $10.5 trillion. Thus, a serious economic threat exists everywhere in the world.
