A closed learning platform has been partially restored for millions of students | Educational Matters

Hacker group, ShinyHunters, threatened to release student information after breaching the Canvas learning platform.

Learning centers used by thousands of schools and universities have been partially restored following a global attack that caused chaos as students prepare for end-of-year exams.

ShinyHunters, a hacking group, has claimed responsibility for hacking the online learning platform Canvas, developed by technology company Instructure.

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The group says it stole 3.5 terabytes of data, including names, email addresses, student ID numbers and private messages, and is threatening to release it if ransoms aren’t paid by May 12.

Instructure’s website said on Saturday that Canvas is now “available to more users” and no further details were reported on Saturday. It is not known if a ransom was paid.

The University of Sydney said on Saturday that Canvas had been restored but was “not available to staff or students, as we need to complete checks”.

Canada’s University of Alberta said Canvas was partially restored with “reduced activity”.

The countries affected by this are the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom.

According to Canvas, about 30 million people around the world use its platform. The breach is said to have affected nearly 9,000 organizations worldwide.

The breach came at a ‘very bad time’

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was “aware of the work disruptions” affecting the learning process, though it did not name Canvas, in a statement Friday.

“The unrest has affected schools, colleges, and students across the country,” it said.

Al Jazeera’s Florida correspondent, Phil Lavelle, said the hack could not have come at a “bad time” as many US schools are in the middle of exams.

Institutions like Penn State, Harvard, Illinois, Columbia and Georgetown are all “pushing” to extend or change the deadline, Lavelle said.

The Harvard Crimson, a student newspaper, said it could not access the platform as of Thursday, while the University of Cambridge also said it would “temporarily suspend” Canvas on Friday.

The Reuters news agency reported that, on May 5, the group sent a message saying that Instructure “didn’t even bother to talk to us” to prevent the release of data, and that the demand was “not as big as you might think”.

Who is ShinyHunters?

The group is an international criminal organization founded in 2019.

For years, they have claimed responsibility for cyberattacks, the most recent breach of which was Rockstar Games, the gaming giant that owns Grand Theft Auto.

“This shows how vulnerable schools are, how vulnerable other organizations are to people who want to take advantage or take over at the worst possible time – just with a keyboard and mouse,” Lavelle said.