Singapore universities assessing impact after global cyberattack on educational tool Canvas
Hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, saying it had stolen data related to nearly 9,000 schools worldwide.
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SINGAPORE: Educational institutions in Singapore are assessing the impact of a recent cyberattack that knocked down learning tool Canvas, even as the platform has since been restored.
The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, saying in a May 3 post on its website that it had stolen data related to nearly 9,000 schools worldwide that included student names, email addresses and private messages between students, teachers and other staff.
Canvas, developed by US-based education technology firm Instructure, is widely used by universities and schools to manage coursework, assignments and communication.
The National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) were among those affected by the outage.
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In a statement, NUS said it is working with Instructure to assess the impact of the data breach.
"Operational impact is assessed to be minimal as the current semester has concluded and all examinations have ended," an NUS spokesperson told CNA on Saturday (May 9).
"We have in place backup and business continuity processes to ensure downstream activities such as marking and grading proceed unaffected."
NUS said it has also reminded students to stay vigilant to any suspicious messages, and not to disclose any personal information or login details if contacted by suspicious people on various channels.
SUSS similarly said it is working closely with Instructure to assess the impact. Access to Canvas has been restored, and there has been no significant disruption to SUSS’ overall operations, the university said on Saturday.
As a precaution, SUSS has advised users to remain vigilant against phishing attempts and to strengthen account security, including changing passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication where available.
“We are also reviewing relevant access controls and security configurations in line with recommended security measures,” it added.
SIM said on Friday that it is closely monitoring the situation with Instructure.
In the meantime, SIM said it will put in place temporary arrangements such as sending Zoom lesson links directly to students, while deadlines for quizzes and assignments may be extended due to the outage.
"SIM’s cyber posture remains sound," it said. "At this time, there is no evidence that SIM data has been exfiltrated or leaked, and our team continues to remain vigilant."
NUS, SUSS and SIM were on a list of schools that were affected by the breach. CNA has also contacted NTUC Learning Hub and Kaplan to ask if they have been similarly affected by the Canvas breach.
Canvas has 30 million active users globally between kindergarten and college age, according to Instructure's website.
In the United States, the hack affected universities including Harvard and Stanford, and thousands of other institutions, causing widespread disruption as students prepare for end-of-year tasks and assignments.
ShinyHunters said 275 million individuals' data could be leaked if schools did not pay the ransom by a deadline of May 6. The group then extended the deadline, indicating some schools had engaged with them to negotiate.
The group has also been tied to other attacks, including one aimed at Live Nation’s Ticketmaster subsidiary.
According to Instructure, there was no evidence that passwords or financial information were compromised.
The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) said it is monitoring the situation.
“We have reached out to affected organisations to offer assistance and provide advice on mitigation measures,” it added.
Even with Canvas back online, global cybersecurity experts are urging impacted students and educators to stay alert.
Other bad actors could try to take advantage of the breach's aftermath through additional phishing attacks. Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, warns that someone impersonating a school district, for example, could send a malicious message prompting users to reset their Canvas password.
“Be very suspicious of any inbound messages,” Steinhauer said, particularly if urgent action is requested.
Experts stress that major breaches are an important reminder for consumers to revisit best “cyber hygiene” practices overall.
The basics include creating hard-to-guess passwords, using multifactor authentication when possible and monitoring online accounts for any suspicious activity.
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