A data breach involving private information of students has been confirmed by Instructure, a major player in education technology. The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the incident, asserting that they obtained sensitive data including names and personal email addresses of students, as well as communications between students and teachers.
Instructure stated that the breach affects nearly 9,000 schools globally, impacting the data of approximately 275 million individuals, including students and faculty. The hackers shared a sample of the compromised information with TechCrunch, which included data from institutions in Massachusetts and Tennessee. While the sample revealed names and emails, it did not include passwords or other unaffected data.
Instructure, which serves over 8,000 institutions through its Canvas platform, has not confirmed the specific schools involved. However, the alleged breach highlights a growing trend of cybercriminals targeting educational institutions. Instructure has directed inquiries to its official website, where it is providing ongoing updates about the situation.