A significant disruption has affected around 9,000 educational institutions across the US, Canada, and Australia due to a cyber attack. The hacking group known as ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the incident, which rendered the academic software Canvas inoperative, causing widespread chaos during a crucial exam period.
Instructure, the company behind Canvas, reported that by late Thursday, the platform was operational for most users, though some universities continued to experience outages as of Friday. Mississippi State University announced the postponement of final exams to assist students in recovering lost work, as many were impacted by a ransom note that appeared on their screens during the attack.
Students, including meteorology major Aubrey Palmer, expressed frustration and concern after receiving the threatening message, which indicated that data could be released unless a ransom was paid. The University of Sydney also informed its students that Canvas was unavailable and advised against logging in until further notice.