The data of thousands of students and staff at universities of applied sciences and the Flemish Free University of Brussels (VUB) has potentially been stolen, various educational institutions, which fell victim to a cyberattack on the Canvas learning platform this week have confirmed. “The stolen data could be misused for targeted attacks,” warns Artevelde University College in Ghent in a communication to students.
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Data of thousands of students and lecturers in Flanders potentially stolen
Colin Clapson
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It is not yet clear exactly how many Belgian students, lecturers or professors have been affected. According to Dutch daily De Telegraaf, the hackers’ group ShinyHunters is behind the attack. The group has stolen data from more than 275 million users worldwide. In the Netherlands, too, 44 educational institutions have been affected.
In Flanders, several institutions use the software: the VUB, Thomas More University College, Artevelde University College, Karel de Grote University College, CVO Ghent and Erasmus University College.
The VUB is urging students to be vigilant. According to the university, only academic data has been stolen and no private information has gone missing. Canvas can also be used safely once again.
Artevelde University College in Ghent says today that private data has been stolen. “This includes names, email addresses (work and private) and registration numbers of both students and staff. It is not yet clear how many students and staff have had their data stolen. We are continuing to monitor the situation.”
In addition, messages exchanged between Canvas users are also believed to have been stolen. There is no evidence that passwords have been leaked.
‘Be careful’ is the message
The university college has warned all students and staff by email about fake messages, after hackers got hold of their email addresses. “The stolen data, including names and email addresses, could be misused for targeted attacks,” the college writes in the email.
“We are taking this incident seriously. Various teams within the university college are working together to monitor the situation and take the necessary measures, and we are in close contact with (Canvas developer) Instructure. The safety and privacy of our students and staff are our top priority.”