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Hackers steal students’ data during breach at education tech giant Instructure

Published

4 months ago

May 5, 2026

Preport

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Education tech giant Instructure has confirmed a data breach affecting students’ private information. The hacking and extortion gang ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach.

The hackers claim to have stolen students’ names, their personal email addresses, and messages sent between teachers and students — the same type of data Instructure admitted was stolen.

Instructure is the latest corporate giant hacked by the ShinyHunters gang. The cybercriminals have targeted universities and cloud database companies in recent months, in efforts to steal vast amounts of people’s personal information and threaten to post the data online if the companies do not pay the hackers’ ransom.

A member of ShinyHunters shared a sample of the stolen data with TechCrunch, which included data from two schools in the United States, one in Massachusetts and one in Tennessee. In the case of the one in Massachusetts, the data included messages, which contain names, email addresses, and some phone numbers. As for the school in Tennessee, the sample included students’ full names and email addresses.

The sample did not contain passwords or the other types of data that Instructure said was unaffected by the breach.

TechCrunch is not naming the schools as they are not confirmed victims. Based on information that appears on their websites, both schools appear to use Instructure’s platform Canvas, which allows customers to manage coursework, assignments, and communicate with students.

ShinyHunters also shared a list of about 8,800 schools allegedly affected by the breach. TechCrunch could not confirm whether all the listed institutions were affected, nor whether they are Instructure customers. On its official site, Instructure says it has more than 8,000 institutions as customers.

When reached by TechCrunch, Instructure’s spokesperson Kate Holmes did not answer several questions about the incident, and instead referred to the company’s official page where it is publishing updates on the breach.

On its data leak site, where ShinyHunters claims responsibility for data breaches and attempts to pressure victims into paying a ransom, the hackers claim the breach affected close to 9,000 schools around the world, and 275 million people’s data, including students, teachers, and other staff. In an online chat, the ShinyHunters member told TechCrunch that the total unique emails that are included in the stolen data amount to 231 million.

Financially motivated hacking groups are known to exaggerate their claims to gather the attention of the media, as well as their victims.

As of Tuesday, Instructure said some of its products, such as Canvas, were restored for customers after undergoing maintenance.

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Related Topics:breach data education giant Hackers Instructure steal Students tech

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Tinubu’s Campaign Council filled with corruption suspects – ADC

Published

21 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Preport

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has described president Bola Tinubu’s Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections as a rehabilitation centre for corruption suspects.

This is contained in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Saturday.

According to the party, the inclusion of some former government officials in the council raised questions about the government’s handling of corruption cases involving politically exposed persons.

It specifically questioned the presence of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and former Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Ngozi Olejeme, in the campaign structure.

DAILY POST recalls that President Tinubu suspended Edu in January 2024 amid controversy surrounding an attempted transfer of N585 million from the National Social Investment Programme Agency account into a private account.

Similarly, Olejeme on the other hand, has faced prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged financial offences.

The opposition challenged the Federal Government to explain whether the cases involving the two former officials and others associated with the campaign council had been resolved.

“The Campaign Council is full of corruption suspects. If they have been cleared, the government should show how and when and by whom they were cleared,” the ADC said.

News

2027: Shun thuggery, promote peace, Plateau CP tells youths

Published

31 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Preport

The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Faniyan, has advised youths in the state to shun political thuggery, eschew violence, and embrace peace ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The CP gave the advice at an event organised by the police command on Saturday in Jos.

The event commemorated the 2026 International Youth Day, with the theme “Different Context, Common Aspirations.”

Mr Faniyan, who said that youths remain central to the success of democracy and national development, admonished them to resist being used as instruments of violence by politicians.

“Your future is too important to be traded for peanuts during elections.

“I urge you to shun political thuggery and all forms of criminality.

“The police will not spare anyone caught disrupting the peace of Plateau,” he said.

Mr Faniyan noted that the command was committed to engaging youths through dialogue and community policing, adding that a peaceful youth population was key to credible elections and sustainable development.

Victor Elias, the area commander, Jos Metro, also urged young people to promote peaceful coexistence in their communities.

He also cautioned youths against misusing social media.

“Use your social media platforms to educate, to inform and to unite people.

“Do not use social media to spread misinformation or hate speech that can divide us,” he said.

(NAN)