Canvas outage and reported data breach disrupt schools during finals week

What is Canvas and who uses it?

Canvas is a cloud-based learning management system used by schools and universities for class materials, assignments, grades, quizzes and communication between students and instructors NYT,USA Today,CBS News. Instructure says it serves more than 8,000 institutions, and reporting described it as a platform relied on by millions of students and teachers NYT,CNN.

Why did this outage draw so much attention?

The outage hit during finals week at many schools, when students were trying to study, submit work, check grades and take or prepare for exams NYT,Washington Post,CBS News. Because Canvas is a central academic tool at many institutions, even a short disruption affected coursework and communication across campuses USA Today,Newsweek.

What is still unknown?

Available reporting did not establish the full extent of any stolen data or whether Canvas was taken offline by Instructure as a precaution or directly knocked offline by the attackers Washington Post,WDIV,CBS News. Universities and Instructure were still investigating what information may have been accessed WDIV,CBS News.