Canvas offline at Baylor University after broader cybersecurity breach
Canvas offline at Baylor University after broader cybersecurity breach
https://www.kwtx.com/2026/05/07/canvas-offline-baylor-university-after-broader-cybersecurity-breach/
Publish Date: 2026-05-07 18:55:00
Source Domain: www.kwtx.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Canvas is offline at Baylor University after the learning management system was taken down in response to a broader cybersecurity incident that has drawn reports of ransomware-related messages appearing at multiple schools across the U.S. Baylor Information Technology Services said Thursday evening that Canvas is “currently unavailable university-wide,” calling it a nationwide issue impacting institutions across the country. Thursday was study day at Baylor and final exams were due or scheduled for Friday. BaylorITS urged users not to attempt to access or respond within Canvas “until further notice” while Baylor teams monitor the situation and work with the vendor toward a resolution.Earlier Thursday, BaylorITS reported that several universities using Canvas said their access was blocked by a ransom notice, prompting BaylorITS to take Canvas offline.The disruption follows a cybersecurity incident Instructure disclosed May 1. In a May 2 update, Instructure Chief Information Security Officer Steve Proud said the information tied to the attack included names, student ID numbers, messages between users and email addresses, but that the company had found no evidence at the time that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers or financial information were involved.The breach claims surfaced on Thursday as many schools were preparing for final exams. Rutgers University reported May 7 it was aware of an unauthorized message posted to Canvas about the incident. The Daily Pennsylvanian also reported that Penn State’s Canvas site was hacked and displayed a warning attributed to the cybercriminal group ShinyHunters, with similar messages reported by users at other institutions, including the University of California, Davis. The full scope of the breach was not immediately known.In an earlier BaylorITS notice posted Wednesday, the university said it had been notified Baylor data stored on Instructure servers was impacted. BaylorITS said Baylor’s use of DUO two-factor authentication meant Bear ID passwords were not stored on Instructure’s servers, and the incident was not directed specifically at Baylor.BaylorITS advised users to watch for phishing attempts and to access Canvas and other online resources directly rather than through unsolicited links. Updates are being posted at systemstatus.baylor.edu.Copyright 2026 KWTX. All rights reserved.
