Canvas Outage

May 8, 2026

11:44AM

Instructure (Canvas) Security Incident Update

Dear El Camino College Students, Faculty, and Staff,

We want to provide our campus community with an important update regarding the recent Canvas outage impacting colleges across the California Community Colleges system.

Based on updated guidance provided today by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the CCC Security Center, and information shared by Instructure, El Camino College is restoring normal access to Canvas services.

According to the latest information available, the vulnerability associated with the incident has been addressed and statewide technology and security teams do not currently believe the platform presents an ongoing operational risk under normal use. In addition, there is currently no indication that El Camino College District systems have been compromised.

We recognize the significant disruption this outage created, particularly during the final weeks of the semester. We appreciate the patience, flexibility, and professionalism demonstrated by our students, faculty, and staff throughout this situation. We also want to thank faculty and campus teams for their efforts to maintain instructional continuity and student support during the disruption.

As access is restored, users may experience temporary slowness or intermittent service interruptions as institutions statewide reconnect to the platform. We encourage everyone to continue monitoring official College communications for any additional updates.

Although Canvas access is being restored, the Chancellor’s Office and statewide security teams continue to recommend vigilance regarding phishing attempts or suspicious communications referencing Canvas or this incident. As a reminder:

• Be cautious of unexpected emails, text messages, or links requesting account information or login credentials.
• Do not click on suspicious links or attachments claiming to relate to Canvas access or password resets.
• Report suspicious emails or account activity to the El Camino College ITS Help Desk immediately.
• Continue using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication where available.

El Camino College will continue coordinating closely with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the CCC Security Center, and statewide technology partners as additional information becomes available.

For the latest official statewide updates regarding the Canvas incident, please visit:

California Community Colleges Security Center – Canvas Incident Updates

Thank you again for your patience, cooperation, and continued support.

 

9:11 AM 

Instructure (Canvas) Security Incident Update

Dear El Camino College Students, Faculty, and Staff,

We want to provide our campus community with an update regarding the ongoing Canvas outage impacting colleges across the California Community Colleges system.

As of this morning, Canvas remains unavailable while Instructure, the company that provides the Canvas platform, continues its security review and restoration efforts following a cybersecurity-related incident. While progress has been made and some services may be gradually returning for certain users nationwide, California Community Colleges continue to work closely with the Chancellor’s Office and the CCC Technology Center to ensure the environment is fully validated and secure before restoring access locally.

We understand the significant disruption this creates, particularly as we approach the end of the semester. We recognize the stress and uncertainty this situation may cause for students trying to complete coursework, faculty managing instruction and grading, and staff supporting daily college operations. Please know that El Camino College leadership, Information Technology Services, Academic Affairs, and campus administrators are actively coordinating efforts to support continuity of instruction and minimize impacts to our campus community.

Out of an abundance of caution, El Camino College has temporarily maintained restrictions on access to Canvas-related services while security validation efforts continue. Because the incident involved elevated access within the platform environment, restoring access before appropriate validation is completed could create additional risks to institutional systems, student information, course content, and overall data integrity. Protecting the security and privacy of our students, faculty, staff, and District systems remains our highest priority.

Faculty are encouraged to continue communicating with students through alternative methods such as email, Zoom, or other approved tools, and to provide flexibility where appropriate regarding assignments, assessments, and deadlines. Students should continue monitoring their El Camino College email accounts regularly for course-specific guidance and updates from instructors.

At this time:

• There is no indication that El Camino College District systems have been compromised.
• El Camino College ITS staff continue to monitor systems closely and implement additional precautionary safeguards as needed.
• The College is coordinating with statewide partners and following guidance from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and Security Center.
• Additional updates will be shared with the campus community as more verified information becomes available.

We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and understanding as this situation continues to evolve. Our campus community has successfully navigated major disruptions before, and we remain committed to supporting our students and employees through this challenge with care, transparency, and a strong focus on safety and continuity.

For the latest official statewide updates regarding the Canvas incident, please visit:

California Community Colleges Security Center – Canvas Incident Updates

Thank you for your continued patience and support.

May 7, 2026

1:55 PM 

Instructure (Canvas) Security Incident Update

El Camino College’s Information Systems Department is aware of a message currently being displayed to some users when accessing Canvas. This issue appears to be related to Instructure’s cloud-hosted Canvas environment and not to El Camino College’s internal systems or servers. Out of an abundance of caution, the College has temporarily disabled Canvas links from the student portal while we continue to monitor the situation and coordinate with the vendor.

Please continue to follow best practices:

• Be cautious of unexpected emails or messages, even if they reference real courses, students and faculty
• Avoid clicking links or opening attachments unless you are confident in the source
• Treat messages requesting login credentials, urgent action, or sensitive information with extra caution
• When in doubt, verify the request using a trusted, known method (not the contact information provided in the message)

El Camino College will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide additional updates as needed.

1:33 PM

Instructure (Canvas) Contains Security Incident

Instructure, the provider of California Community Colleges’ learning management system, Canvas, confirmed a security incident this past weekend. After launching an investigation and implementing containment measures, Instructure has reported that the incident has been contained. Investigation into the situation is ongoing.

Based on information from Instructure and external reporting, the type of data potentially exposed appears limited to:

• Names
• Email addresses
• Student ID numbers (not Social Security numbers)
• Messages within the Canvas platform

 At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that passwords, Social Security numbers, financial data, or dates of birth were compromised. Cybersecurity experts emphasize that the primary risk at this stage is related to future activity such as phishing. Because unauthorized actors may have access to legitimate names and communications, future fraudulent messages could appear more convincing. Please maintain vigilance against phishing and social engineering attempts using tactics designed to trick individuals into taking actions such as clicking malicious links, sharing credentials, or opening harmful attachments by making communications appear legitimate. Attackers may reference real courses, names, or familiar exchanges to increase credibility.

Please continue to follow best practices:

• Be cautious of unexpected emails or messages, even if they reference real courses, students and faculty
• Avoid clicking links or opening attachments unless you are confident in the source
• Treat messages requesting login credentials, urgent action, or sensitive information with extra caution
• When in doubt, verify the request using a trusted, known method (not the contact information provided in the message)

El Camino College will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide additional updates as needed.