The ability to securely connect to virtual systems is an important element within a safe and supportive learning environment. This is particularly the case within institutions of higher education (IHEs), where students are increasingly learning in digital formats; faculty, staff, and visitors are constantly accessing and sharing information online; and more infrastructure and facility functions are being managed online. To maintain their collaborative culture, colleges and universities house robust information technology (IT) networks and multilayered infrastructure systems with varied levels of access and connectivity. Unfortunately, this open environment has made IHEs around the world targets in 2017 cyber attacks, including WannaCry (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team [US-CERT], May 2017) and Petya (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, July 2017), two ransomware attacks that reinforced the need for increased higher ed cybersecurity planning, education, and training. IHEs are not new targets for malicious cyber actors and operations. Research shows that between 2005 and 2014, 562 data breaches were reported at 324 IHEs, with doctoral institutions marking the majority (63 percent) of those reported (EDUCAUSE, 2014). Hacking/malware and unintended disclosures were the most commonly reported breach types within IHEs (U.S. Department of Homeland Security [DHS], 2015). When an IHE is threatened by a cyber attack or threat, the effect goes beyond loss of student and employee personally identifiable information (PII). There can be operational, reputational, and/or financial impacts, as well as national security and privacy concerns, as some IHEs are involved in Federal defense contractor research projects. This is why cybersecurity planning, education, and training are so important in the overall framework of higher ed emergency management and in terms of ensuring compliance with state, local, and Federal laws. This fact sheet discusses: (1) threats facing IHE networks and systems; (2) How cybersecurity relates to emergency operations plans (EOP) development and planning; (3) cybersecurity resources available on Twitter; and (4) Federal and national organizations that support IHEs with cybersecurity.