UC Berkeley Hit by Global Cyberattack, Disrupting Learning Platforms Ahead of Finals
UC Berkeley officials issued an urgent warning to students and faculty on Thursday after a cyberattack disrupted the university’s learning management system, Canvas. The attack, which appears to be part of a broader campaign affecting institutions worldwide, has forced the university to restrict access to its digital platforms, including bCourses, just days before finals week.
In a statement, Vice Provost Oliver M. O’Reilly instructed users to avoid accessing Canvas via any browser or device and to immediately log out if already signed in. While officials are working to restore access and explore alternative solutions, students have been advised to await further instructions from instructors regarding coursework and exams.
The extent of the breach remains unclear, but the student-run newspaper The Daily Cal reported receiving a claim from the cybercrime group ShinyHunters, which alleged the theft of hundreds of thousands of records containing student and staff data. No official confirmation of the group’s involvement or the scope of the stolen information has been provided by the university.
As of now, UC Berkeley continues to monitor the situation and assess the impact on academic operations. The incident underscores the growing threat of cyberattacks on educational institutions, particularly during critical periods like exam season.
Source: https://patch.com/california/berkeley/cyberattack-hits-uc-berkeley
UC Berkeley TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/uc-berkeley
"id": "uc-1778200668",
"linkid": "uc-berkeley",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "5/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Students and faculty',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Berkeley, California, USA',
'name': 'UC Berkeley',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Hundreds of thousands',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Student and staff data'},
'description': 'UC Berkeley officials issued an urgent warning to students '
'and faculty after a cyberattack disrupted the university’s '
'learning management system, Canvas. The attack, part of a '
'broader campaign affecting institutions worldwide, forced the '
'university to restrict access to its digital platforms, '
'including bCourses, just days before finals week. The '
'cybercrime group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, '
'alleging the theft of hundreds of thousands of records '
'containing student and staff data.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Hundreds of thousands of records containing '
'student and staff data',
'operational_impact': 'Disrupted learning management system access '
'ahead of finals week',
'systems_affected': ['Canvas', 'bCourses']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'source': 'The Daily Cal'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Issued urgent warning to students and '
'faculty; advised awaiting further '
'instructions',
'containment_measures': 'Restricted access to digital platforms; '
'advised users to log out of Canvas',
'enhanced_monitoring': 'Monitoring the situation',
'recovery_measures': 'Working to restore access and explore '
'alternative solutions'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Urgent warning issued to students and faculty; '
'advised to avoid accessing Canvas and await '
'further instructions',
'threat_actor': 'ShinyHunters',
'title': 'UC Berkeley Hit by Global Cyberattack, Disrupting Learning '
'Platforms Ahead of Finals',
'type': 'Cyberattack'}