Canvas struggles after hack: What students and schools are still facing

Last week, a hacking group called Shinyhunters reportedly breached the Canvas online learning platform. The company behind Canvas, Instructure, managed to get the service back online after making a deal with the hackers. But even though Canvas is running again, many users are still dealing with problems. Some students say the platform is slow or glitchy since the attack. Others report getting error messages when they try to log in. Schools in different areas have mixed experiences. Some districts, like Arlington ISD, say Canvas is working fine for them. But in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, students still can’t access their accounts days after the hack. A spokesperson for that district said they’re working with cybersecurity experts to check if it’s safe to restore service before the school year ends.Students are feeling the impact. Without Canvas, some have to email assignments to teachers instead of submitting them online. Others are trying to finish projects and prepare for finals using older tools like Google Classroom, which they haven’t used in years. One student mentioned that teachers expect finals to happen in the next few weeks, but there’s no clear plan yet on how to handle them. Even though Instructure claims the hackers deleted the stolen data as part of the deal, experts warn that once data is stolen, it can’t be fully recovered. A cybersecurity specialist pointed out that hackers could still release the information if they choose. This raises concerns about privacy and security for students and families. Schools and parents are being advised to take precautions. Changing passwords, turning on extra login security, and checking credit reports can help reduce risks. While the chance of the data being shared might be low, the threat still exists. The incident shows how cyberattacks can disrupt education and leave lasting worries about safety.