Cyber attack disrupts swath of US and Canada universities and schools
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- A cyber attack by the hacking group ShinyHunters targeted the academic software Canvas, disrupting services for numerous universities and schools across the US and Canada during the critical end-of-year period.
- Instructure, the company behind Canvas, reported partial restoration of service by late Thursday, but some institutions like Penn State University and the University of British Columbia experienced prolonged outages and cancelled exams.
- Several major universities, including the University of Toronto, UCLA, and the University of Chicago, confirmed being affected, with the latter receiving ransom demands from ShinyHunters threatening to release stolen data.
- Threat analysts noted the attacks and ransom deadlines began earlier in the week, escalating pressure on institutions to negotiate with the hackers.
- The incident coincided with calls from US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer for increased federal cybersecurity support, urging the Department of Homeland Security to enhance protection against growing cyber risks amid advancing AI technologies.
