Two weeks ago, a cyberattack deactivated Canvas—one of the world’s leading learning management systems—for many hours. As a result, students and teachers internationally lost access to class materials, were unable to take final exams, and were forced to extend project deadlines.
The recent Canvas hack is one of the most significant cybersecurity threats in a larger trend: in 2025, a ransomware breach of Oracle obtained 4 million sensitive records from the University of Phoenix, Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania; in 2024, hackers exploited file transfer software MOVEit Transfer to access personal information about students and faculty at nearly 900 colleges.
And yet, schools are more reliant on educational technologies (EdTech) than ever before. 30 million students and teachers use Canvas to manage classwork; schools nationwide are integrating AI learning tools into classrooms; and some institutions have even continued to use Zoom for remote learning post-pandemic. In this final Fuller Picture column, we will investigate how increased reliance on EdTech both helps and hurts institutions globally.
The global EdTech market’s size has increased from $106 billion to $187 billion between 2021 and 2025. Because of their accessibility and availability, EdTech platforms can significantly ease the burden on education systems for smaller schools with less robust IT programs. Additionally, students in rural areas or with disabilities can access high-quality instruction, materials, and accommodations that might otherwise be unavailable. Open-source digital education resources have decreased textbook costs for schools by an average of 31%. And personalized learning plans, normally inaccessible to understaffed classes, have become more accessible to students, who can follow the curriculum at their own pace.
However, the latest hacking incident has reemphasized privacy concerns among educators and students alike about the increased reliance on EdTech platforms. Unlike breaches of retail or social media platforms, breaches of educational data are uniquely sensitive; students often share medical and mental health records and communicate with Title IX advocates through platforms like Canvas. This means stolen data can be used to create highly targeted, personalized scams that are difficult to detect.
The Canvas outage two weeks ago was not an isolated incident, and it certainly won’t be the last. As cyberattacks on EdTech platforms grow more frequent, the need to balance the safety of students with the accessibility and cost-efficiency that schools prioritize is increasingly important.
