The company that runs Canvas, a popular online learning system, struck a deal with hackers to delete data stolen in a cyberattack last week.
Major institutions across Canada were affected, including the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta.
ShinyHunters, the group that claimed responsibility for the breach, wrote that it stole the data of 275 million people, “students, teachers and other staff” from nearly 9,000 schools worldwide.
Instructure, Canvas’ U.S.-based parent company, said in a post on Monday that it had “reached a settlement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident.”
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The company did not say whether it was a payment, only that the data had been returned.
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“We have received digital confirmation of data destruction (shred logs),” it said.
“We have been informed that there will be no extortion of Instructure customers, publicly or otherwise, as a result of this incident. This agreement applies to all affected Instructure customers, and there is no need for individual customers to attempt to contact the unauthorized actor.”
Schools and universities use Canvas to manage online learning, distribute course materials, grade assignments, and facilitate communication.
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On Friday, the University of Toronto suspended its Quercus service as a precautionary measure. It also warned users not to access Canvas.
Meanwhile, the University of Alberta said users reported seeing an unauthorized message when trying to access Canvas. The university later took the platform offline and asked users not to attempt to log in until further notice.
The University of British Columbia also issued a warning, advising students not to log in to Canvas and telling those already logged in to log out immediately and change their passwords.
Other institutions across the country, including Simon Fraser University, Mohawk College and OCAD University, also confirmed reported disruptions related to the incident.
— with files from Prisha Dev and The Associated Press
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