Students across the country have been affected after a popular cloud-based digital hub for classrooms was hacked.
The hackers targeted Canvas, which is used by local school districts and top universities nationwide.
Instructure, the hub’s parent company, has a message on its website noting it “has placed Canvas, Canvas Beta and Canvas Test in maintenance mode. We anticipate being up soon, and will provide updates as soon as possible.” That messages was posted several hours after the company said it was investigating issues with people being unable to log into the platform.
DownDetector indicated issues being reported by users peaked about 4:30 p.m.
Locally, Carmel Clay Schools has acknowledged it was affected. Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College were also impacted, according to WTHR.
On May 1, Instructure reported on its website the company, “recently experienced a cybersecurity incident perpetrated by a criminal threat actor. We are actively investigating this incident with the help of outside forensics experts. We are working quickly to understand the extent of the incident and actively taking steps to minimize its impact. Maintaining your trust is our highest priority, and we are committed to transparency throughout this process. We will provide new information as it is confirmed.”
A hacker group called ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack.
Earlier this week TechCrunch reported the hackers had stolen students’ names and email addresses, among other data.
This article will update.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Canvas data breach hits thousands of schools, including in Indiana
Reporting by Jen Guadarrama, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
