Millions of students regain access to educational platform after hacking incident

International Cyberattack on Educational Platform Canvas Causes Disruption

A cyberattack on the educational platform Canvas has resulted in partial restoration of the service, affecting thousands of schools and universities worldwide. The attack, attributed to the hacking group ShinyHunters, occurred on Friday, causing major disruptions as students prepare for end-of-year exams.

According to Instructure, the company behind Canvas, the breach involved the theft of 3.5 terabytes of data, including names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and private messages. The group claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened to release the stolen data unless a ransom was paid by May 12.

The University of Sydney reported that Canvas had been restored, but it is not yet accessible to staff or students due to ongoing checks. In contrast, the University of Alberta in Canada has partially restored the service with reduced functionality.

The breach affected institutions across several countries, including the United States, Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Approximately 30 million people worldwide use the Canvas system, which serves close to 9,000 institutions globally.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that it was aware of a service disruption impacting a learning system but did not specify the affected platform. The FBI stated that the disruption has impacted schools, educational institutions, and students across the country.

Instructure’s website reported on Saturday that Canvas is now available for most users. However, the extent of the damage and whether a ransom was paid remain unclear.

Source: Al Jazeera