Publishers and Cybersecurity
Publishers are central to our work, and a growing target for cybercrime.
Publishers are central to our mission and form the foundation of our membership. They are also a frequent target for content piracy and attacks on platform integrity. SNSI gives publishers a shared space to pool intelligence, build collective advocacy, and strengthen the security of the scholarly record alongside peers who face the same threats.
Why cybersecurity matters to publishers
Publishers sit at the centre of the scholarly record and are often the first to notice when something is wrong. Irregular download activity, unusual account behaviour, and platform analytics frequently surface a breach before an institution’s own systems do.
Sci-Hub and other known pirate sites continue to steal journal articles from publisher platforms. They frequently use compromised login credentials obtained through phishing or credential-stuffing attacks elsewhere in the ecosystem.
Most university IT and cybersecurity teams rate this as a lower-priority risk than ransomware or malware – but it remains a direct and ongoing threat to publisher platforms and the integrity of the scholarly record.
How SNSI supports academic publishers
We share intelligence, build a collective voice, and support the security of the scholarly record you help create. Among the things we do to support your work, we:
Convene publishers to share intelligence on emerging threats across the sector. These include credential abuse, pirate sites, and platform attacks.
Build collective advocacy on issues affecting publisher platforms and the scholarly record.
Host sessions relevant to publishers at our annual SNSI Security Summit.
Develop shared resources and guidance with input from publishers and the wider SNSI community.
Resources for publishers
Learn more with the following resources:
SNSI Cybersecurity and Academic Libraries report (2025)
SNSI CISOs Research report (2022)
Explore our full library of guides, reports, and recordings.
Work with us
Our members include many of the world’s leading scholarly publishers, working together to secure the scholarly record.