Cyberattack hits Wits’ Ulwazi system, exposing personal data

Wits University confirmed that it was part of more than 8 000 educational institutions affected worldwide after a cyberattack that exposed sensitive student and staff information,reports theNorthcliff Melville Times. The Wits learning management system, Ulwazi, was affected by a cyberattack linked to a broader cybersecurity breach involving Instructure, the company responsible for managing Canvas, the platform on which Ulwazi operates. The incident, which occurred on Thursday, briefly disrupted access to the university’s online learning system before services were restored.

Wits communications manager Shirona Patel said that Ulwazi is now back online and that learning and teaching activities are continuing as scheduled. Patel said Instructure informed Wits and universities around the world of a data breach affecting its systems. It seems like approximately 8 800 educational institutions worldwide are affected by this incident,” Patel said.

She added that sensitive information belonging to students and staff had been compromised during the breach. The exposed information includes names, email addresses, contact numbers and conversations contained within Canvas (Ulwazi) inboxes. Patel said forensic investigations are currently underway at Instructure, with further details expected to be shared once more information becomes available.

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