A cybersecurity expert warned that the next major higher-ed data breach will likely start outside campus networks, as institutions expand their web of learning management systems, cloud services, and third-party tools. Identity Theft Resource Center president James Lee said supply-chain attacks exploit the “weak link” shared across many colleges, turning one compromised vendor into a cascade across multiple institutions. Lee cited the Canvas breach that exposed more than 3.5 TB of data and referenced further exploits affecting education-related infrastructure, underscoring the need for governance-level attention to cybersecurity in procurement and oversight—not just IT spending and staff training. Colleges and universities are expected to respond by strengthening due diligence for vendors, tightening policies around third-party access, and incorporating cybersecurity into procurement and governance structures ahead of the next breach wave.