DEAL STRUCK WITH HACKERS TO DELETE DATA STOLEN FROM CANVAS
May 12, 2026, 5:39 AM PDT / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
The company that operates online learning system Canvas said it struck a deal with hackers to delete the data they pilfered in a cyberattack that created chaos for students, many of them in the middle of finals.
Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, said in an online post that it “reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident.”
The company didn’t provide any details on the agreement, including whether it involved a payment, and didn’t elaborate who was behind the hack. Instructure temporarily took the system offline while it investigated, locking out students and faculty.
A hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for last week’s breach, threatening to leak data involving nearly 9,000 schools worldwide and 275 million individuals if schools did not pay a ransom by May 6. The group then extended the deadline, indicating some schools had engaged with them to negotiate.
As part of the deal, the data was returned to Instructure. The company said Monday that it also received “digital confirmation” that the hackers destroyed any remaining copies, in the form of “shred logs.”
The company acknowledged that there was no way to be sure that the data was erased for good, and said it took action because of concerns about potential publication of the data.
“While there is never complete certainty when dealing with cyber criminals, we believe it was important to take every step within our control to give customers additional peace of mind, to the extent possible,” Instructure said.