Canvas system back online after cyberattack disrupted thousands of schools

Cyberattack hits Canvas system used by schools

A cyberattack on the widely used Canvas learning platform has compromised data tied to thousands of school districts. FOX 35 Orlando's Amanda Mckenzie joins LiveNOW's Bowen Kedrowicz to share how the cyberattack is impacting Florida schools. 

Canvas, a key online learning system used by thousands of schools and universities, is back after a cyberattack knocked it offline.

Canvas back online after cyberattack

Big picture view:

On Friday, students regained access to the online learning system after a cyberattack knocked it offline, creating chaos as students tried to study for finals.

the outage set off panic and confusion as students and faculty members found themselves locked out of a platform they rely on to manage grades and access course notes and assignments. (Credit: Getty Images)

Instructure, the company behind Canvas, said in an update late Thursday that the system was available for most users. 

What they're saying:

"Canvas is fully back online and available for use," the company also said on its website. "Our external forensic partner has reviewed the known indicators and found no evidence that the threat actor currently has access to the platform."

Hackers breached data days before the outage

The backstory:

A hacking group called ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach at Canvas, said Luke Connolly, a threat analyst at the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. The hacking group posted online that nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and other records accessed, Connolly said.

The message that flashed on student Elizabeth Polo's computer screen urged individual schools to reach out directly to the hacking group to negotiate a settlement and threatened to leak data if they didn’t. She said that Canvas later took that message down, replacing it with a message saying the site was undergoing scheduled maintenance.

EARLIER: Canvas reportedly hacked by ShinyHunters, claiming data breach

The data breach appeared to involve student ID numbers, email addresses, names and messages on the Canvas platform, Instructure’s chief information security officer, Steve Proud, said in an update.

"We have found no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were involved," the company said in a statement.