Longwood, Fla., (May 14, 2026) – Matt Rose, Chief Experience Officer and Co-founder of Tech Rage IT, appeared on multiple FOX 35 Orlando broadcasts earlier this week to discuss the recent cyberattack impacting Canvas, the widely used online learning platform operated by Instructure. The breach affected schools and universities across the country, including educational institutions in Central Florida.
According to reports, the breach involved approximately 3.65 terabytes of stolen data impacting an estimated 275 million users across nearly 9,000 educational institutions worldwide. The second disruption reportedly occurred during finals week, creating widespread concerns around student access, privacy, and institutional security.
Instructure later confirmed it reached an agreement with the hacking group responsible for the attack after data was exfiltrated from the platform. The company stated it received digital confirmation that the stolen data had been deleted.
Rose explained during the FOX 35 interviews that situations involving stolen data create significant long-term concerns because organizations ultimately have limited visibility into what happens once information leaves their environment.
“When a company pays a ransom or reaches an agreement after data has already been exfiltrated, they are ultimately trusting criminals to keep their word,” Rose said. “There is no real way to fully verify that the data was not copied, shared, or sold before it was supposedly deleted.”
Rose also noted that the incident differs from traditional ransomware attacks because the primary issue was not systems being locked, but sensitive information leaving the organization’s control entirely.
“This was not just about systems going offline,” Rose said. “Once data leaves your environment, you cannot simply get it back. At that point, you are negotiating over what happens next.”
The breach reportedly exposed information including names, email addresses, and communications connected to students and faculty. Rose noted that incidents involving education platforms carry additional sensitivity because of the volume of personal and institutional information they store.
“Organizations rely heavily on third-party cloud platforms today,” Rose said. “Businesses and schools need to ask harder questions about security posture, disaster recovery, and what protections are actually in place before an incident happens.”
Rose also warned that major breaches like this frequently lead to follow-on phishing campaigns, where attackers use publicity surrounding real-world incidents to make fraudulent emails and messages appear legitimate.
“People are likely going to see phishing emails tied to this breach for months,” Rose said. “Attackers know that if a breach is real, people are much more likely to trust the message.”
The FOX 35 discussions highlighted the broader cybersecurity challenges facing organizations that depend on cloud-based software providers and third-party vendors to manage sensitive data.
Tech Rage IT provides managed IT services and cybersecurity solutions to businesses throughout Central Florida, helping organizations strengthen cybersecurity posture, improve employee awareness, and reduce operational risk.
For more information about Tech Rage IT and its cybersecurity services, visit www.techrageit.com
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For more information, please contact:
For Tech Rage IT: Matt Rose, 407-278-5664, Matt@TechRageIT.com.
About Tech Rage IT: Tech Rage IT is a woman-owned technology firm providing managed IT services, VoIP phone services, IT consulting and more to the frustrated, defeated and disappointed businesses craving more from their technology investment.
Tech Rage IT’s registered tagline “We Prevent Tech Rage” speaks to their laser focus of being a recognized leader in reducing the raging-headaches that employers and their employees face every single day due to technology problems, such as inconsistent or high IT support costs, unreliable or outdated technology, faulty or slow devices, and ransomware or lost files. Tech Rage IT, headquartered in Longwood, has been serving the area since 2015. Find more information about how Tech Rage IT is preventing Tech Rage at www.TechRageIT.com.
