Reading about the Canvas breach a few weeks ago was the first time I could say my professional and personal life genuinely intersected.
On a professional level, I’ve made it a personal goal of mine to bring cybersecurity to school districts across the nation in 2026. To find any and all applicable grants and get the funding that schools are most lacking to establish adequate cybersecurity people, processes, and tools. Having two kids in the public school system, seeing a big gap, and cybersecurity being the subject matter I know most about has made it something I’ve been passionate about.
On a personal level, just a few days after the news of the breach came, my daughter walked into my office to share a presentation she had worked really hard on. She said, “Dad, check out my presentation in Canvas.” My heart sank. I knew this meant that now a digital profile can now be made of her online and used for social engineering for the rest of her life. Not because of irresponsible browsing or social media posts, which I’ve been very vigilant about as a parent, but because of the reality today that any application, service, or online platform we interact with poses direct and indirect risks through its supply chain. One of the biggest trending topics in cybersecurity in the commercial sector has been 3rd-party supply chain risk (TPVRM) for a number of years now, while most schools are still struggling to secure funds for basic detection and response. My personal life coming full circle with my professional life was humbling to say the least.
I hope this is the much-needed wakeup call that students, parents, and administrators needed. I can say that it unequivocally was for me in my personal life. As such, I have made the financial decision to set aside a considerable budget every month to implement the same standard of security tools and processes I often recommend businesses do for themselves. Seeing this 3rd party breach hit so close to home, as well as being acutely aware of the age of cyber-attacks being perpetrated 100% via AI now upon us, I am no longer under the illusion that safe browsing, a rotating set of the same 3-5 passwords, and statistical odds are in my favor.
- By Samuel Aronov – Sr. Director of Client Experience
