Instructure, the vendor providing our Canvas learning management system, has announced that Canvas is once again available for use.
What You Need to Know Before Logging In
While the Canvas platform is back online, we are operating in a state of enhanced vigilance. We ask all faculty and students to follow these safety protocols:
- Audit Your Course Links: If you are a faculty member, please do a quick review of your course "Announcements" or "Modules." If you see any unfamiliar links or messages that were posted between May 3 and May 7, do not click on them; delete them and contact the SFBRN Information Security team at security@sfbrn.calstate.edu.
- Be Wary of “Urgent” Requests: The group responsible for this breach may attempt to send highly convincing phishing emails. Continue to be alert to unsolicited emails or messages appearing to come from Canvas, particularly any requesting login credentials or personal information. Report anything suspicious to the SFBRN Security team at security@sfbrn.calstate.edu.
- File Safety: While there is no direct evidence at this time of malware being injected into existing files, we recommend that users not download and open unexpected attachments that appeared during the outage period.
Academic Support & Flexibility
We understand the timing of this disruption is particularly challenging as many students and faculty are navigating exams and the end of the semester.
- Direct Outreach: We understand that both students and faculty may feel uneasy about the reliability of Canvas links and file attachments. To help reduce anxiety and prevent any risk of missing or inaccessible work, we encourage academic leaders and faculty to reach out to their students to resend their work via email, as opposed to through Canvas. To maintain alignment with our security protocols, ensure that any attachments are sent from students’ official CSU email addresses. This added step provides an extra layer of protection for our systems while giving students and faculty confidence that assignments have been securely received and are readily accessible. Faculty can also find more information regarding ways to get in touch with students, outside of the Canvas system, on this site.
- Flexibility: Recognizing the Canvas outage placed unexpected pressure on students, we ask academic leaders and faculty to offer flexibility with deadlines for anyone who could not submit assignments or access needed course materials while the system was down.
Continued Monitoring
SFBRN's security team will continue to coordinate with Instructure and monitor the situation and our Canvas environment. If you have any ongoing technical or cybersecurity concerns, please contact support@sfbrn.calstate.edu.
We recognize the impact this has had, especially as you navigate the end of the semester, and for many of you, are looking ahead to commencement. We ask for patience as we continue to navigate this evolving situation together.