NU Cybersecurity expert weighs in on Canvas cyber attack
NU Cybersecurity expert weighs in on Canvas cyber attack
https://www.wowt.com/2026/05/12/nu-cybersecurity-expert-weighs-canvas-cyber-attack/
Publish Date: 2026-05-11 23:33:00
Source Domain: www.wowt.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Millions of students worldwide are dealing with the fallout from a major cyberattack on one of the most widely used education platforms.Hackers targeted Canvas, disrupting access for more than 8,000 universities and their students.It was the last week of school. Students were cramming for finals. The platform they use to turn in homework and tests was not working.“I do have two finals left that I have to submit online through Canvas,” said Trini Finke, a UNO student.Like Finke at UNO, millions of students had to end the school year with the same chaos.Criminal group claims responsibility“Taking down a system like that, at that time is almost certainly intentional,” said Matt Hale, director of Matrix.Hale is the director of Matrix, the cybersecurity system used by the NU system. They track threats in real time.“They are very commonly known to attack large single points of failure that can sort of affect many different organizations,” Hale said.The group that claimed the Canvas cyberattack goes by the name of ShinyHunters, a criminal group Hale said he is familiar with.“They have attacked Google, Gucci, Adidas, Salesforce, you name it. They have been responsible for a number of high profile attacks,” Hale said.Within seconds, these hackers have access to private student and faculty data, threatening to release it unless a ransom is paid.“If they don’t, which is also quite frequently the case, then they go public with it and take down the system, and post some of the data,” Hale said.Within days, students were able to use Canvas again. But Hale thinks now that ShinyHunters has found a weakness in the system, another attack is imminent.“If it’s not tomorrow, it will be a month from now. If it is not a month from now it will be a year,” Hale said.Matrix is one of the university’s first lines of defense when it comes to cybercrime. They also teach classes to train students to fight cybercrimes and illegal uses of AI.Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
