The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Friday five local education institutions have been affected by a hacking attack on the learning platform Canvas.

They're among some 9,000 institutions worldwide impacted by the breach.

Hackers reportedly blocked access to Canvas, which is used to manage grades, course notes, assignments, lecture videos and more.

Affected institutions in Hong Kong are the Polytechnic University, the University of Science and Technology, the Academy for Performing Arts, the Hong Kong Institute of Construction and Hong Kong Education City Limited.

According to the privacy watchdog, about 42,000 students and staff at the Polytechnic University were affected, whereas the number at the Institute of Construction stood at 2,500.

It's not immediately known how many people were affected at the other three local institutions.

The hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, said Luke Connolly, a threat analyst at the New Zealand-based cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

The group reportedly threatened to leak data, giving deadlines of Thursday and May 12, with discussions regarding extortion payments possibly ongoing.

In the United States, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania were among those affected as final exams approached. (Additional reporting by AP)


Edited by Edmond Fong