The Canvas Hack Shows Ransomware Isn’t Going Anywhere

InnovationEnterprise TechThe Canvas Hack Shows Ransomware Isn’t Going AnywhereByTim Keary,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tim Keary is a reporter covering enterprise AI adoption.Follow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 02:53pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Ransomware hackergettyInstructure, the parent company of the popular online education platform Canvas, this week announced it had paid hackers not to release data stolen during a ransomware attack. According to the BBC, the Canvas attack affected an estimated 9,000 institutions in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. The incident is one of the largest educational security breaches on record. During the breach, many educational institutions were unable to access the Canvas platform. The Harvard Crimson noted that students at Harvard temporarily lost access to Canvas last Thursday, with users redirected from the learning management platform to a message from a hacking group known as ShinyHunters. In the message, the group claimed it had “breached Instructure” and urged schools on the affected list to contact the group privately to negotiate a settlement before the end of the day on May 12, or risk their data being leaked.The attack highlights that ransomware and supply chain attacks remain a significant threat, not just to educational institutions but also to organizations. Today’s companies not only need to secure their own systems but also consider the exposure presented by upstream software vendors.The Canvas Ransomware AttackThe incident took place due to two major intrusions. Instructure’s incident update blog post explained that the company detected unauthorized activity in Canvas on April 29th and revoked the unauthorized party’s access.MORE FOR YOUThen on May 7, Instructure identified further unauthorized activity, after the actor made changes to the pages that appeared when studen...