A cyberattack hit universities worldwide, including top Canadian schools. Here's what we know | CBC News

"At universities, colleges and some K-12 schools, instructors use Canvas to share a wide range of material with students, from course notes and assignments to media and exams. They can also use it to communicate and share grades or other updates. So, the data involved may include full names, email addresses, student numbers and personal messages, according to Instructure, the makers of Canvas."

"The company said it detected unauthorized activity on April 29, accessed through a particular type of teacher account. Though the company revoked that access, it took the platform offline to investigate on Thursday when additional activity was detected. Instructure said it has not found evidence that passwords, financial information or government-issued identification details have been compromised."

"The breach is "very concerning," said Luke Connolly, an Ottawa threat intelligence analyst at cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, since "there's all sorts of ways that the information can be put to bad use." From a hacker's perspective, schools are an ideal target since students are "at the very beginning of their financial journey," without major loans or debts, said Robert Falzon, Che"

Thousands of schools worldwide, including in Canada, were affected by a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, an online learning-management system used by students and instructors. Universities and some K-12 schools use Canvas to share course materials, media, assignments, exams, and to communicate with students, including grades and updates. Instructure reported that the potentially involved data may include full names, email addresses, student numbers, and personal messages. Instructure detected unauthorized activity on April 29 through a specific type of teacher account, revoked access, and took the platform offline after additional activity was found. Instructure stated there is no evidence that passwords, financial information, or government-issued identification details were compromised. Schools are working to determine the extent of compromised data and assess potential misuse risks.

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