New York Schools Impacted By Massive Cyberattack

A learning platform used by schools across New York State remains down following an attack from well-known hackers.

The learning platform Canvas is down after hackers threatened to leak data tied to thousands of schools in the U.S. and across the globe.

Hackers Attack Canvas

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Multiple reports say students accessing the Instructure website on Thursday were met with a message from the hacking group Shiny-Hunters claiming responsibility.

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"ShinyHunters has breached Instructure (again)," the message read.

Days earlier, the platform reported a major "cybersecurity incident."

Many Colleges, School Districts Use Canvas

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Many schools and districts in New York State use Canvas by Instructure as their Learning Management System (LMS). It's widely used by New York colleges and universities as well as several K-12 school districts.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) includes Canvas as a common, supported LMS, encouraging districts to work with local Regional Information Centers (RICs) for implementation.

Districts that use Canvas typically use it for grades 6-12 to manage assignments, grades, and communication.

It can also be used for submitting assignments, accessing course content, and by parents or caregivers to observe student progress.

Many higher education institutions across New York use Canvas to deliver course materials and facilitate online learning.

275 Million Users Have Data Breach

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Officials say this breach is exposing student names, ID numbers, and email addresses of an estimated 275 million users across nearly 9,000 educational institutions worldwide.