technology
Canvas Platform Restored After Unauthorized Access
Instructure said Canvas is now available for most of its 30 million users after a cyberattack that targeted nearly 9,000 institutions in multiple countries. ShinyHunters claimed it stole 3.5 terabytes of data including names, email addresses, student ID numbers and private messages, and set a May 12 ransom deadline.
May 8, 12:36 PM·2m read4 sources
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Al JazeeraAudio version
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An international cyberattack on the Canvas educational platform created by Instructure partially restored service for most users on Saturday after the company took the system offline on Thursday. Instructure detected unauthorized activity on April 29 and tied the intrusion to an issue involving its Free-For-Teacher accounts.
The company took Canvas offline on Thursday, engaged outside forensic experts, and notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
It temporarily shut down its Free-For-Teacher accounts after confirming the unauthorized actor exploited an issue related to those accounts. ShinyHunters, a global cybercrime syndicate established in 2019, claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on Canvas. 5 terabytes of data from Canvas, including names, email addresses, student ID numbers and private messages.
ShinyHunters threatened to release the stolen data if ransoms were not paid by May 12. On May 5, ShinyHunters posted a message saying Instructure had "not even bothered speaking to us" to prevent a data leak. " ShinyHunters has previously claimed responsibility for a data breach at Rockstar Games.
Instructure stated that names, email addresses, student ID numbers and private messages were compromised. Instructure stated there was no evidence that passwords, Social Security numbers or financial data were exposed. The company said most services were restored by Thursday though some maintenance issues remained under investigation.
Instructure stated on Saturday that Canvas is now available for most users. No incidents were reported on Saturday after partial restoration of Canvas. Canvas is used by more than 8,000 schools and universities globally, and about 30 million people across the globe use the Canvas system.
The breach targeted close to 9,000 institutions across the globe. The group targeted almost 9,000 schools. Affected countries include the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom.
