Austin ISD Data Breach Affects Nearly 45,000 Individuals

• •Nearly 45,000 individuals affected by the breach.
• •Attackers accessed systems via Instructure's Canvas/BLEND platform.
• •ShinyHunters claimed responsibility and threatened data leaks.

Austin Independent School District reported a data breach affecting approximately 45,000 students and staff due to a cyberattack on its third-party service provider, Instructure, which manages the Canvas/BLEND learning platform. The breach was detected on April 29, 2026, after unauthorized access began on April 25. Initially, Instructure indicated that no student data was compromised, but later confirmed that sensitive information, including names, email addresses, and student ID numbers, was involved. The attackers, identified as the ransomware group ShinyHunters, have threatened to leak the stolen data unless a settlement is reached. Austin ISD clarified that no sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers or financial data, was shared with the vendor. The district is currently working with cybersecurity experts to address the situation.