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Thousands of students across the US were unable to access the Canvas learning platform on Thursday as universities investigated a cybersecurity incident affecting multiple institutions.
Canvas, a cloud-based system used by schools to manage courses, grades and communication, went offline for some users at a critical time as many colleges administer final exams.
The platform is used by thousands of institutions nationally, meaning any long-term disruption could disrupt exams and academic deadlines while raising concerns about the possible exposure of sensitive student data if the hackers’ claims are legitimate.
A message from some users’ dashboards claims to be responsible for the disruption, saying that cybercriminal group ShinyHunters has “breached Instructure (again),” referring to the company that operates Canvas. The message urged the schools involved to “negotiate an agreement” to prevent the release of the data and set a deadline of May 12, 2026.
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University officials confirmed they are aware of the issue and are working to restore access. In a message to faculty and students, University of Pennsylvania administrators said the school is “actively investigating” and “working with Instructure to restore access to Canvas as soon as possible,” adding that the disruption “is not limited to Penn and affects many institutions.”
Instructure said on its status page that it is “currently investigating this matter.” Previous updates revealed that the company identified a cybersecurity incident days ago and was working with outside experts.
Instructure did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Cybercriminals stole Social Security and medical data in the OnTrac hack that exposed user information. (Photo by Annette Riedl/photo credit via Getty Images)
The breach followed claims by ShinyHunters earlier this week that it had accessed data linked to thousands of schools using Canvas. The group alleged that it obtained user information such as names, email addresses and student ID numbers, although Instructure said it found no signs that passwords or financial information had been compromised.
Student newspapers, including the Daily Pennsylvanian and Duke’s The Chronicle, reported that the message appeared briefly on Canvas before being replaced by a notice stating that the arena was “under scheduled renovations.”
These hacks come between colleges and universities during the final exam period at the end of the spring semester. (JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images)
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ShinyHunters, a group known for high-profile data breach claims, has previously targeted education and technology companies, including incidents involving universities and third-party vendors in recent months.
The full scope of the disruption and whether data was accessed or leaked is not confirmed.
