The University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU) are part of numerous educational institutions worldwide facing a potential breach in the Canvas learning platform that may impact students’ personal data. According to a UBC network status update, students currently logged into the software are advised to log out until further notice. The university became aware of a cyber incident involving Instructure, the U.S.-based parent company of Canvas, on Tuesday afternoon.
An SFU representative mentioned that approximately 9,000 educational institutions globally have been impacted by this breach. The compromised information may include names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and communications among Canvas users. Other universities like the University of Toronto, Ontario College of Art and Design University, and the University of Alberta have also reported being affected.
In response, the UBC page recommends that students who accessed Canvas on Thursday must change their passwords immediately. It further emphasizes the importance of vigilance against phishing attempts and the adoption of strong password practices and multi-factor authentication where possible.
Instructure confirmed that Canvas was taken offline upon discovering unauthorized alterations made by an unknown party. The issue was linked to Free-For-Teacher accounts, which have since been disabled. The platform is now fully operational after necessary security measures were taken.
According to Robert Xiao, an associate professor of computer science at UBC, instructors’ teaching materials may have been compromised, posing risks to academic integrity. Affected individuals should remain cautious of potential phishing attempts leveraging the leaked data.
Both UBC and SFU, the largest universities in British Columbia in terms of student enrollment, are actively addressing the situation.
