Back to School: The Ideal Time For Australian Schools To Implement Stronger Cyber Hygiene Measures
Passwords Alone Are Not Sufficient For Students As They Return To School
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – February 3, 2026 – Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), the creator of secure passkeys and hardware authentication security keys, has seen a sharp increase in demand from Australian public schools following a recent cyber incident. As a result, Australian school cyber security is under renewed scrutiny as students return to classrooms.
Why Australian Schools Are Prime Targets for Account-Based Attacks
As schools return for the new year, the cyber incident has sharpened the education sector’s focus on account-based attacks. These attacks often target large identity systems with long-lived credentials and inactive user accounts.
The Hidden Risk of Inactive Student and Staff Accounts
“Education systems are prime targets because they manage vast numbers of user accounts,” said Geoff Schomburgk, vice president for Asia Pacific and Japan at Yubico. At the same time, many of those accounts contain sensitive data and remain active long after students leave.
Why Passwords Alone Fail in Large Education Environments
YubiKeys use hardware-based authentication that cannot be phished, replayed or intercepted, even if login credentials are compromised. Governments, critical infrastructure operators, and education providers are increasingly adopting this approach to reduce account takeover risk. Importantly, the Australian Cyber Security Centre strongly recommends it under the Essential Eight guidelines.
How Phishing-Resistant Authentication Stops Credential Abuse
“As a result, phishing-resistant authentication blocks an entire class of attacks,” said Geoff Schomburgk. “It protects active users and dormant accounts. These dormant accounts are often the weakest link in large education environments.”
Aligning School Cyber Hygiene With the Essential Eight
Because of this, Yubico works with governments, enterprises, and education providers globally to strengthen Australian school cyber security and protect users from credential-based threats.
About Yubico
Yubico (Nasdaq Stockholm: YUBICO) is a modern cybersecurity company on a mission to make the internet safer for everyone. As the inventor of the YubiKey, we set the gold standard for modern phishing-resistant, hardware-backed authentication, stopping account takeovers and making secure login simple.
Since 2007, we’ve helped shape global authentication standards, co-created FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO U2F, and introduced the original passkey. Today, our passkey technology secures people and organisations in over 160 countries, transforming how digital identity is protected from onboarding to account recovery.
Trusted by the world’s most security-conscious brands, governments, and institutions, YubiKeys work out of the box with hundreds of apps and services, delivering fast, passwordless access without friction or compromise.
We believe strong security should never be out of reach. Through our philanthropic initiative, Secure it Forward, we donate YubiKeys to nonprofits supporting at-risk communities.
Dual-headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and Santa Clara, California, Yubico is proud to be recognised as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more at www.yubico.com.
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