Massive Global University Hack: Millions of Students’ Data Stolen in Canvas Breach
- Personal data belonging to millions of students globally, including those in New Zealand, has been compromised in a major cyberattack targeting the Canvas learning platform.
- In New Zealand, the attack caused direct disruptions to university students' ability to complete their coursework.
- Students also reported encountering pop-up messages from the hackers while accessing the learning platform, according to Stuff.
Personal data belonging to millions of students globally, including those in New Zealand, has been compromised in a major cyberattack targeting the Canvas learning platform. The breach has resulted in widespread data theft and the disruption of academic services across multiple regions.
Impact on New Zealand Students
In New Zealand, the attack caused direct disruptions to university students’ ability to complete their coursework. According to reporting from the NZ Herald, students were unable to submit assignments after the hackers took down an online tool. RNZ reported that the personal details of New Zealand students were caught up in the global hack.
Students also reported encountering pop-up messages from the hackers while accessing the learning platform, according to Stuff.
Breach Attribution and Global Scale
The hacking group known as ShinyHunters is responsible for the attack. The Verge reported that the Canvas platform experienced downtime as ShinyHunters threatened to leak stolen data from schools.
The scale of the incident is described as a major education breach. Malwarebytes reported that the personal data of millions of students was stolen during the operation.