Email remains one of the most targeted attack vectors in Higher Education – and the risks continue to evolve faster than many institutions can keep up with.

From AI-driven phishing campaigns to accidental data loss caused by human error, universities and colleges are facing increasing pressure to secure both the information coming into their environments and the sensitive data leaving them.

During a recent webinar hosted by KHIPU Networks and Proofpoint, industry experts explored the growing email security challenges facing Higher Education institutions and why many organisations may still lack visibility into what’s happening within their Microsoft 365 environments.

The Growing Email Security Challenge

Many organisations assume that native Microsoft 365 security provides sufficient protection against modern email threats. While these tools offer a strong baseline, advanced phishing attacks, Business Email Compromise, and sophisticated social engineering campaigns continue to bypass traditional protections.

This challenge becomes even more critical in Higher Education environments, where:

• Large user populations create expanded attack surfaces
• Collaboration and information sharing are constant
• Sensitive student, staff, and research data is regularly exchanged
• Decentralised environments increase visibility challenges

The reality is that many institutions may not fully understand what threats are already reaching their users.

AI is Changing the Threat Landscape

One of the key themes discussed during the session was the role AI is playing in modern cyber threats.

Attackers are increasingly using AI to create:

• More convincing phishing emails
• Better impersonation attempts
• Highly targeted social engineering campaigns
• Faster and more scalable attacks

As these threats become more sophisticated, traditional detection methods are becoming less effective on their own.

This means organisations must move beyond purely rule-based approaches and focus more heavily on visibility, behavioural analysis, and adaptive security strategies.

Human Error Remains a Major Risk

While organisations often focus on stopping malicious emails from entering their environment, the session also highlighted the growing risk associated with what leaves the organisation.

Accidental data loss continues to be one of the biggest security concerns in Higher Education.

Examples include:

• Misdirected emails containing student information
• Sensitive research data being shared externally
• Staff forwarding information to personal email accounts
• Unauthorised data exfiltration

In many cases, these incidents are not malicious – they are simply the result of human error.

However, the impact can still be significant from both a reputational and compliance perspective.

“You don’t know what you don’t know – and that’s often where the biggest email security risks exist.” Lee Renahan, Proofpoint

Why Visibility Matters

One of the strongest takeaways from the webinar was the importance of visibility.

Many organisations “don’t know what they don’t know” until they gain insight into:

• What threats are bypassing existing protections
• Which users may represent higher risk
• How sensitive data is being handled across the environment
• Where potential vulnerabilities exist

Without this visibility, it becomes difficult to prioritise security improvements effectively.

The Value of an Email Risk Assessment

The webinar also introduced the concept of lightweight Email Risk Assessments designed to help organisations quickly identify potential gaps within their environment.

These assessments can provide:

• Visibility into hidden risks
• Insight into email-based threats
• Understanding of user behaviour patterns
• Actionable recommendations for improvement

Importantly, these assessments can often be deployed with minimal effort and without disrupting users.

Moving Toward a More Adaptive Security Approach

As email threats continue to evolve, organisations are increasingly shifting away from static, rule-based security models toward more adaptive approaches that focus on:

• Behavioural analysis
• Context-aware protection
• Real-time risk visibility
• Human-centric security strategies

For Higher Education institutions, this shift is becoming essential in order to better protect users, sensitive data, and institutional reputation.

Final Thoughts

The conversation around email security is no longer just about preventing attacks from getting in.

It’s about understanding:

• What’s already getting through
• How users interact with sensitive data
• Where visibility gaps exist
• And how organisations can proactively reduce risk

For Higher Education institutions navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape, visibility and adaptability are becoming just as important as protection itself.

If your organisation would like to better understand its current exposure and identify potential gaps, an Email Risk Assessment can be a valuable first step toward strengthening your overall email security posture.