Home / Technology / US Demands Answers After Massive Canvas Data Breach
US Demands Answers After Massive Canvas Data Breach
14 May
Summary
- Millions of student and teacher data scraped in a double hack.
- Instructure struck a deal with hackers, who claim data destruction.
- US House committee demands testimony on delayed response to breaches.
The U.S. House of Representatives is demanding testimony from Instructure, the owner of the education platform Canvas, regarding recent cyberattacks. These attacks resulted in the scraping of personal data belonging to millions of students and teachers nationwide. The company confirmed a deal with the hacker group ShinyHunters, who allegedly agreed to destroy stolen copies of user information.
ShinyHunters claimed to have targeted thousands of universities and school districts in two separate incidents, first on April 29 and again on May 7. The House Homeland Security Committee, alongside CISA, is investigating the breaches and Instructure's response. Key details about the stolen information, including usernames, emails, and course messages, are being sought.
Experts like Troy Hunt of Have I Been Pwned have expressed concern over Instructure's agreement with the hackers, noting that payments do not guarantee data deletion and may incentivize future attacks. While Instructure claims digital confirmation of data destruction, absolute certainty remains elusive in such cybercriminal activities.
