An apparent cyberattack shut down Canvas — used by over 30 million students globally — Thursday, hitting universities like Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Georgetown right in the middle of finals. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, demanding payment or threatening to leak data from nearly 9,000 affected schools worldwide. Stolen data may include names, email addresses, and student ID numbers — but Instructure says passwords and financial information appear to be safe. Canvas came back online late Thursday for most users. The hackers’ next deadline is May 12.
Why This Matters to You
If you or someone you know goes to school anywhere in the U.S., your data may have been accessed. Check your school’s official communications for updates. Don’t reuse your Canvas password on other accounts — change it now just to be safe.
-Elijah Iraheta, Editor-in-Chief, ASC News
