Canvas back up after outage, but not for Oregon schools, universities
Canvas, a learning management platform used by thousands of schools and universities, experienced a major outage on May 7, with hackers claiming responsibility and demanding a settlement by May 12. While Instructure reported partial restoration of services, Oregon institutions like Eugene 4J, University of Oregon, and Oregon State University remained locked out as of May 8, delaying academic operations and student progress reports.
The Canvas learning platform, owned by Instructure and used by thousands of schools and universities, including the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Eugene School District 4J, went offline on May 7. Instructure confirmed the outage and stated that while most users regained access by May 8, Canvas Beta and Canvas Test remained in maintenance mode. The company is investigating the issue, with some users still unable to log into Student ePortfolios. A hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, giving Instructure until May 12 to negotiate a settlement before leaking compromised data. The group alleged that student names, student ID numbers, district email addresses, and messages between students and teachers were exposed, though Instructure has not confirmed the breach. Eugene 4J stated that no sensitive information like birth dates, passwords, or financial details was involved, as Canvas does not store such data. Eugene School District 4J reported only a delay in releasing student progress reports due to the outage. The district assured families that its student and employee information systems remain separate from Canvas. Meanwhile, University of Oregon’s Chief Information Officer, Abhijit Pandit, confirmed Canvas was still down for the university as of May 8 but expected restoration by the end of the day. He advised students and staff to avoid attempting to access the platform until it was officially restored. Oregon State University also reported that Canvas remained unavailable for its faculty and students, with the university prioritizing security validation before re-enabling access. OSU’s technology team stated that updates would be shared as soon as they became available. Lane Community College and Bethel School District were unaffected, as they do not use Canvas. The outage disrupted daily academic operations, as students rely on Canvas to submit assignments, take tests, and review materials, while professors use it to upload syllabi, input grades, and communicate with students. The platform’s widespread use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, making its downtime particularly impactful for education systems.
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