Johnston and Wake County Schools on list for Canvas data breach

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  • ShinyHunters claims they obtained data tied to ≈8,800–9,000 educational institutions using Canvas LMS.
  • Instructure has confirmed the breach, but has NOT publicly verified every named school.
  • The attackers published a full list of institutions on dark‑web leak sites; security journalists have reviewed portions of it.
  • Most affected entries are U.S. colleges, universities, school districts, and some international institutions.
  • Inclusion on the attackers’ list does not guarantee confirmed data exposure, but indicates a Canvas tenant was present in the stolen dataset.

Notable schools named in the leaked list (examples)

Security outlets reviewing the ShinyHunters list report that it includes many major universities, such as:

  • Harvard University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Stanford University
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Cambridge
  • Princeton University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Georgetown University

These schools appear in the attackers’ published victim list, but their individual exposure status has not been independently confirmed by Instructure or forensic audits. [cybernews.com]

International institutions confirmed in reporting

  • 44 universities and schools in the Netherlands, including:
    • University of Amsterdam
    • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
    • The Hague University of Applied Sciences

These Dutch institutions were specifically confirmed by national reporting, making them the clearest verified geographic subset so far. [thenextweb.com]

Scope of the full list

According to multiple security and technology publications:

  • Total institutions listed: ~8,809
  • Countries represented: at least 10
  • Institution types:
    • Public & private universities
    • Community colleges
    • K–12 school districts
    • Online education platforms
    • Some corporate training Canvas tenants (e.g., enterprise LMS use)

What data is associated with listed schools

For institutions on the list, the attackers claim access to:

  • Student and staff names
  • School-provided email addresses
  • Student ID numbers
  • Canvas Inbox private messages

Instructure states there is no evidence passwords, Social Security numbers, or financial data were exposed. 

Why you won’t see an official full school list (yet)

  • Instructure is notifying customers directly, not publishing names.
  • Attackers’ lists may contain:
    • Inflated counts
    • Duplicate tenants
    • Legacy or inactive Canvas instances
  • Major outlets (BleepingComputer, TechCrunch) are intentionally withholding school names unless independently confirmed. 

What to do if you’re trying to confirm a specific school

If you want to know whether a specific university or school district (for example, one in North Carolina) is on the ShinyHunters list, the most reliable options are:

  1. Contact the institution’s IT or Information Security office
  2. Check the school’s official data breach or security notice page
  3. Monitor direct communication from Instructure Canvas
  4. Watch for state or national education authority advisories

Wake County (Wake County Public School System) — Confirmed Affected

Yes — Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is confirmed to be affected by the Canvas/Instructure breach tied to the ShinyHunters incident.

What’s been officially confirmed

  • WCPSS received notice from Instructure on May 5, 2026 about a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, which occurred on April 25, 2026. [wcpss.net]
  • The district notified families on May 6, 2026 that student and staff data may have been accessed via Canvas. [aol.com], [abc11.com]
  • Data types potentially involved: names, school email addresses, student ID numbers, and Canvas messages. [wcpss.net]
  • Not involved (per WCPSS/Instructure): passwords, dates of birth, government IDs, or financial information. [wcpss.net]

Why Wake County is included

  • North Carolina uses Canvas as a statewide LMS (since 2015), and Wake County’s Canvas tenant is part of that statewide deployment, placing WCPSS within the affected customer base. [wral.com]
  • Multiple NC districts (including Wake County) have publicly acknowledged impact from the same incident. [msn.com]

Where to see the official notice

  • WCPSS Notice of Data Breach (official district post): https://www.wcpss.net/p/~board/updates/post/wcpss-notice-of-data-breach [wcpss.net]
Johnston County
Johnston County, NC — Canvas (Instructure) Breach Status

Status: ✅ Confirmed affected

Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) has publicly acknowledged that it was affected by the Canvas/Instructure cybersecurity incident linked to the April 25, 2026 breach.

What Johnston County has confirmed

  • JCPS received notification of a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, the statewide learning management system operated by Instructure that North Carolina public schools use. [wcpss.net]
  • Current student and staff data may have been accessed through Canvas. [wcpss.net]
  • No indication that the following were involved:
    • Passwords
    • Dates of birth
    • Government-issued IDs
    • Financial information

This aligns with what Instructure and other NC districts (e.g., Wake, Charlotte‑Mecklenburg, Cabarrus) have reported for the same incident. 

Why Johnston County is included

  • Canvas has been used statewide in North Carolina since 2015, via the Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).
  • Because JCPS is part of the statewide Canvas deployment, its tenant falls within the population exposed by the Instructure breach. 

What data may be involved (based on Instructure + JCPS info)

  • Names
  • School email addresses
  • Student or staff ID numbers
  • Canvas messages (user‑to‑user communications)

Instructure has stated there is no evidence that passwords or sensitive identity/financial data were accessed. 

Official Johnston County notice

  • JCPS Notice: “Data breach involving Canvas”
    (posted on the district site)

JCPS indicated it will share additional details if Instructure provides more specific findings about the data accessed.

Practical next steps (recommended)

While JCPS has not reported misuse, experts recommend the following precautions after this incident:

  • Change Canvas/NCEdCloud passwords if they were reused elsewhere
  • Enable multi‑factor authentication where available
  • Be alert for phishing emails posing as schools, teachers, or IT
  • Report suspicious messages to your school or district IT staff

These steps are consistent with guidance issued across NC districts following the breach.


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