Why ShinyHunters hacked Canvas, Vimeo- Inside the group’s ‘pay or leak’ strategy

Canvas was reportedly down for thousands of users on Thursday and a message from hacking group ShinyHunters was allegedly displayed on the screen. ShinyHunters is being linked to attacks on Canvas, Vimeo and more. (Pexel) The cyberattack is the latest incident linked to ShinyHunters, a hacking and extortion group that has recently been tied to attacks involving Canvas, Vimeo and Pornhub as part of what experts describe as a broader “pay or leak” strategy. Who is ShinyHunters? ShinyHunters is a cybercriminal group that has been active since around 2019-2020. Their method is straightforward: break into a company’s systems, steal customer data and then demand a ransom payment. If the company refuses, the hackers publish the stolen data online. This approach has often called “pay or leak” has made them one of the more feared hacking groups operating today. Over the years, the group has been tied to breaches at Ticketmaster, Rockstar Games, Salesforce, Qantas and several other major companies, according to Newsweek. In 2024, the US Department of Justice sentenced a member connected to the group, who had put stolen data from more than 60 companies up for sale on dark web forums. Also Read: Inside the UFO files released
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