HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — James Madison University has postponed final exams scheduled for Friday due to a data security breach.

JMU is included in a long list of universities and school systems across the nation that were reportedly hit by a hacker group known as “ShinyHunters” that has demanded ransoms from to prevent further data leaks.

The attack targeted Canvas, a cloud-based digital hub used by students at more than 8-thousand institutions in North America to access grades, study materials and quizzes.

An email alerted JMU students last evening that the breach occurred this Wednesday and advised students, faculty, and staff to not click on links or open unsolicited messages or emails that appear related to Canvas or its parent company Instructure.

Today’s final exams have been rescheduled for next Wednesday.