Global Cyberattack Disrupts Universities and Schools Using Canvas System

A major international cyberattack has disrupted universities and schools across the United States, Canada, and Australia, causing widespread academic chaos during a critical end-of-year examination period.

The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted the widely used learning platform Canvas.

The cyber incident caused temporary outages across thousands of educational institutions, affecting an estimated 9,000 schools and universities worldwide.

The company behind the platform, Instructure, confirmed that Canvas was restored for most users by late Thursday. However, several universities continued to report technical issues and disruptions into Friday.

The attack caused significant academic disruption, forcing some institutions to postpone exams and delay coursework submissions.

Mississippi State University announced that it had postponed final examinations to allow students time to recover lost work and adjust to system outages.

Students described sudden system failures during critical assessments, with one student reporting that a ransom message appeared on-screen while completing a major exam essay.

The message reportedly read: “ShinyHunters has breached Instructure (again),” highlighting the group’s previous cyber activity targeting educational platforms.

Cybersecurity experts warn that attacks on educational infrastructure are increasing, particularly during high-pressure academic periods when system downtime can have serious consequences for students.

Authorities and affected institutions are now working with cybersecurity teams to investigate the breach and strengthen digital defenses.

The incident highlights growing vulnerabilities in global education systems as reliance on digital learning platforms continues to increase.