Almeida Law Group is investigating a data breach at Lincoln Technical Institute. The breach occurred on April 29th, 2026. If you were affected, contact Almeida Law Group.
About Lincoln Technical Institute
Lincoln Technical Institute is an American group of for-profit postsecondary vocational institutions owned and operated by Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (Nasdaq: LINC). Founded in 1946 in Newark, New Jersey, it offers certificate and associate degree programs in Automotive, Skilled Trades, Health Sciences, and Information Technology, and operates campuses across 12 states under three brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, and Nashville Auto-Diesel College. The company is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
What Happened?
Lincoln Technical Institute was listed in a California Attorney General sample breach notice filed on July 9th, 2026, reporting a cybersecurity incident that originated at a third-party vendor, not within Lincoln Tech’s own systems.
Instructure Holdings, Inc., the company that operates the Canvas learning management system used by Lincoln Tech, detected unauthorized access to its platform on April 29th, 2026. A second unauthorized access event tied to the same incident occurred on May 7th, 2026. The threat actor ShinyHunters claimed responsibility and alleged it exfiltrated 3.65 terabytes of data from approximately 275 million users across nearly 9,000 institutions. On May 11th, 2026, Instructure announced it had reached an agreement with ShinyHunters and received confirmation that the exfiltrated data had been destroyed. The U.S. Department of Education issued a Technology Security Alert on May 12th, 2026. This incident is considered the largest educational data security breach on record.
Lincoln Tech’s notice to the California Attorney General, dated July 1st, 2026, stated that the data involved appears to include names, email addresses, student ID numbers, course names, enrollment information, and direct messages among Canvas users. Neither Lincoln Tech nor Instructure found any evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were involved, nor any evidence of misuse of the affected information.
ShinyHunters had previously breached Instructure’s Salesforce environment in September 2025 in a separate incident. Multiple federal class action lawsuits have been filed against Instructure since May 7th, 2026, including cases in Utah, New York, and California. No litigation specifically naming Lincoln Technical Institute in connection with this breach has been identified.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Company or Organization: Lincoln Technical Institute
- Industry: For-profit postsecondary vocational education (career and trade school)
- Location: Headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with campuses in 12 states
- Incident type: Third-party vendor breach (Instructure/Canvas learning management system); unauthorized access by threat actor ShinyHunters
- Date of breach: April 29th, 2026
- Date breach discovered: April 29th, 2026
- Date of consumer notification: July 1st, 2026
- Prior breach: No prior breaches specific to Lincoln Tech; Instructure’s Salesforce environment was breached by ShinyHunters in September 2025 in a separate incident
- Litigation status: Multiple federal class action lawsuits filed against Instructure; no lawsuits naming Lincoln Tech specifically identified
- Source: California Attorney General sample breach notice (https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-626225); supplemental sources include https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Canvas_security_incident, https://www.reedsmith.com/articles/canvasinstructure-cyberattack-key-developments-and-action-items-for-higher-education-institutions/, and https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2026-05-12/technology-security-alert-ongoing-cybersecurity-incident-involving-canvas-learning-management-system
What Should You Do?
If you received a notice from Lincoln Tech, you should remain alert for phishing emails or messages appearing to come from Canvas or Lincoln Tech, particularly any asking for login credentials or personal information. Although Lincoln Tech did not offer identity theft protection enrollment, you can take steps on your own: place a fraud alert with one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion), and consider a credit freeze if you want stronger protection. Review your account statements and pull your free annual credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. If you believe your information has been misused, visit IdentityTheft.gov for step-by-step recovery guidance. Using strong, unique passwords for your Lincoln Tech and Canvas accounts is also a good precaution.
Your Legal Rights
If your personal information was involved in this breach, you may have legal rights depending on the facts of the incident and the law in your state. Almeida Law Group represents consumers in data breach and privacy litigation and can help you evaluate whether you may have a claim. Contact us at (708) 529-5418 or through our contact page for a free case evaluation.
