The NWT government says around 1,700 people in the territory may have been affected by a cyberattack on a web-based learning management system.
In a Thursday news release, the Department of Education said it has been working to “assess the scope” of a security breach affecting Canvas accounts.
The territory said compromised information could include names, email address and enrolment or professional development training inormation. It said no passwords were accessed and the NWT’s Canvas system does not contain financial or sensitive personal information.
The GNWT said people that may have been affected by the breach include teachers, education staff, territorial employees, contractors and program participants who use Canvas.
According to Instructure, the company behind Canvas, it detected “unauthorized activity” on the platform on April 29, which it said was carried out by “a cybercriminal organization known for large-scale attacks.”
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Earlier this month, Instructure said it reached an agreement with the hackers and data was returned and deleted. The company said its investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The GNWT encouraged Canvas users to be cautious of unsolicited emails or messages, avoid clicking on unexpected links or attachments, verify requests for sensitive information, and to update their passwords.
