UCC and MTU affected after global cyberattack targets Canvas education platform

University College Cork and Munster Technological University faced disruptions after a global cyberattack on Instructure’s Canvas platform, affecting thousands of schools worldwide. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, threatening to leak data unless demands were met by May 12, though it remains unclear if data was stolen." "article": "A global cyberattack on Instructure’s Canvas learning management system disrupted University College Cork (UCC) and Munster Technological University (MTU) on Thursday night. The breach forced both institutions to take learning tools offline, though most end-of-year exams at UCC had already concluded, with only a few scheduled for Friday and Monday. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, stating nearly 9,000 schools worldwide were affected, with billions of private messages and records allegedly accessed. Luke Connolly, a threat analyst at Emsisoft, described the group as a loose affiliation of teenagers and young adults based in the US and UK, previously linked to attacks like the Ticketmaster breach. Instructure did not confirm whether the system was disabled by hackers or taken offline as a precaution. Screenshots shared by Connolly showed ShinyHunters issued deadlines for data leaks on Thursday and May 12, suggesting ongoing discussions about potential extortion payments. It remains unclear whether data was stolen during the attack. The attack highlights the growing threat of cybercrime targeting educational institutions, which hold vast amounts of digitized data previously stored in physical records. Schools and universities increasingly face such risks as digital infrastructure expands. Instructure has not issued an official statement on social media regarding the breach. The Canvas platform manages grades, course materials, assignments, and lecture videos, making it a critical tool for academic operations.