Instructure, the company behind the Canvas learning management system, has warned schools and universities of a major cybersecurity breach after hackers allegedly stole millions of student and staff data records.
The company confirmed that the cyberattack affected its platform and resulted in unauthorized access to sensitive data linked to educational institutions using Canvas, including schools in the United States and the University of California system.
According to reports, a ransomware message was posted on several school Canvas homepages on Thursday, alarming students, parents and administrators.
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The hacking group known as ShinyHunters has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that it obtained approximately 275 million records connected to students, teachers and staff.
Instructure acknowledged the security incident and said the platform was temporarily placed in maintenance mode while technical teams worked to restore services and investigate the breach.
The company later stated that Canvas had become available again for most users, though investigations and response measures remain ongoing.
School districts in the northwestern United States have begun notifying families about the breach. Officials from Tigard-Tualatin School District said hackers may have accessed names, email addresses and student identification numbers.
In a communication sent to families, district officials informed parents that Canvas, which is widely used by students in grades six through twelve, was affected by the cybersecurity incident.
The outage also disrupted access for students who were temporarily unable to log into their learning accounts, adding operational challenges alongside privacy concerns.
The ShinyHunters group has previously been associated with large-scale data theft incidents and is known in cybersecurity circles for leaking or selling stolen information online.
Security experts say incidents targeting education platforms are particularly concerning due to the large volume of personal information stored by schools and universities.
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Instructure has not yet disclosed the full extent of the compromised data or whether financial information was involved. Affected institutions are expected to continue assessing potential risks and notifying users as more details emerge from the investigation.