Instructure Reaches Ransom Agreement with ShinyHunters to Stop 3.65TB Canvas Leak
May 12, 2026
Vulnerability / Network Security
American educational technology company Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, said it reached an "agreement" with a decentralized cybercrime extortion group after it breached its network and threatened to leak stolen information from thousands of schools and universities. In an update shared on Monday, the Utah-based firm said it "reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident," citing "concerns about the potential publication of data." In taking the controversial decision to pay a ransom to avoid a leak, the company said the agreement covers all its impacted customers and that the pilfered data was returned to it, along with digital confirmation of data destruction. It also said it has been informed that none of the company's customers will be separately extorted as a result of the hack. "While there is never complete certainty when dealing with cyber criminals, we believe it was important to take every step...