Updated 5/20/26, 3:20 pm MT
At this time, there is limited visibility into the specific circumstances surrounding the incident involving Instructure and it is possible that such details will remain undisclosed due to confidentiality constraints.
Importantly, the threat was not directed at CSU, and therefore no consideration of institutional payment was warranted. We continue to await findings from Instructure and its external investigators. Current indications suggest there is no significant ongoing risk to student information. Any potential data loss appears minimal and likely confined to materials actively in use at the time of the service disruption. This event underscores the importance of continuous risk assessment in our reliance on third-party technology providers, and we will proactively review Canvas security configurations, access controls, and authentication practices to further strengthen the integrity and resilience of our systems.
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Updated 5/8/26, 1:45 pm MT
The Division of IT can confirm that Canvas functionality is restored and access is available.
Some areas of the system may still experience limited performance. We will post any additional issues to our Service Status page. For additional details, please visit the vendor’s Status Page and review the FAQs recently released by Instructure.
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Updated 5/8/26, 10:58 am MT
The Division of IT is anticipating that Canvas functionality will be restored over the next few hours. A notification to campus will be sent when users are able to access the platform.
Please note that even after functionality has been confirmed, some areas of the system may still experience limited performance. We will post any additional issues to our Service Status page. For additional details, please visit the vendor’s Status Page and review the FAQs recently released by Instructure.
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Updated 5/8/26, 10:26 am MT
Canvas is currently experiencing a national outage due to ongoing issues with Instructure, the platforms parent company, and a ransomware attack, which is impacting universities across the country.
The Division of IT has been notified that Canvas is anticipated to return to normal operational status in the near future. Testing and data validation will take place from CSU when the vendor confirms the platform has stabilized. We ask that all instructors and students refrain from accessing the platform until systems are verified to be functioning. Updates will be posted on this page as additional information becomes available. We understand the importance of Canvas to teaching and learning activities and recognize the challenges this is causing. We will continue to share updates as additional information becomes available.
The official Canvas status page can be found here: https://status.instructure.com/ Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Updated 5/7/26, 7:27pm MT
Canvas is currently experiencing a national outage due to ongoing issues with Instructure, the platforms parent company, and a ransomware attack, which is impacting universities across the country.
The Division of IT has been notified that Canvas is anticipated to return to normal operational status in the near future. Testing and data validation will take place from CSU when the vendor confirms the platform has stabilized. We ask that all instructors and students refrain from accessing the platform until systems are verified to be functioning. Updates will be posted on this page as additional information becomes available. We understand the importance of Canvas to teaching and learning activities and recognize the outage this is causing. We will continue to share updates as additional information becomes available.
The official Canvas status page can be found here: https://status.instructure.com/ Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Updated 5/7/26, 3:00pm MT
Note: Canvas is currently experiencing a service disruption, and users may be unable to access the platform or experience intermittent issues. Our teams are actively investigating the issue and working to restore service as quickly as possible.
At this time, we do not have an estimated timeframe for restoration.
Updates will be posted on the status page as additional information becomes available:
https://csusystem.status.freshservice.com/incidents/272
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5/6/26
Colorado State University is working on an IT security incident involving Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, our learning management system. This is a nationwide issue that may affect multiple higher education institutions.
CSU requires its vendors to meet rigorous security and data protection standards. User passwords are managed within CSU systems and are not shared with Canvas or other third‑party platforms. Because your password is managed internally, it was not compromised.
We are actively monitoring the situation and remain in close communication with Instructure. Updates from the vendor are being posted on their Canvas status page, and CSU will share additional information if new details become available.