A significant cyberattack impacted the education platform Canvas on Thursday, affecting universities and K-12 schools across the United States. With over 30 million active users and more than 8,000 institutions as clients, Canvas serves as a vital resource for students and educators, particularly during final exam preparations.
The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, displaying a ransom note on the homepage of various Canvas sites associated with major institutions such as Columbia, Harvard, and Georgetown. The note warned the parent company, Instructure, to either pay or face data leaks, alleging access to user information from millions of students and faculty.
The FBI has begun assisting affected parties and confirmed awareness of the disruption. It advised users to remain cautious about potential scams regarding their data. By Friday morning, Instructure announced that Canvas was "fully back online" and functional, though many schools adjusted deadlines and final exam schedules in response to the incident.