Canvas restored; no university systems compromised

Canvas restored; no university systems compromised

4:29 p.m. Monday, May 11

With Canvas back online at Virginia Tech, the Division of Information Technology continues to review information relating to the cyberattack that caused an outage of the Canvas Learning Management System on the afternoon of May 7 through the morning of May 8.

We want to emphasize that no Virginia Tech systems have been compromised. Instructure, Canvas's parent company, indicated that the information extracted from their systems consisted of identifying information pertaining to users (names, email addresses, student ID numbers, as well as some messages exchanged between users). The vendor advised that there is no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were obtained.

We are in communication with the vendor and will take appropriate action if additional information indicates risk to Virginia Tech systems or users. 

As a best practice, all members of the Virginia Tech community should avoid interacting with or clicking on emailed links or attachments or content that may appear suspicious. Emails that appear suspicious can be reported through Outlook. Know that Virginia Tech will never direct users to unverified third-party sites for Canvas-related communications or remediation activities. For more information on how to protect your personal data and accounts, visit the Safe Online page.

For additional support: If you have questions or concerns related to this incident, please contact 4Help IT Support at 4help.vt.edu, or by calling 540-231-4357. 

3:40 p.m. Friday, May 8

Blacksburg Transit will offer full service on Sunday, May 10, beginning at 6:30 a.m. Details at ridebt.org.

10:45 a.m. Friday, May 8

For students with exams on Sunday, Blacksburg Transit is working on a plan for service. Details will be posted to ridebt.org.

10:15 a.m. Friday, May 8

Overnight, the vendor that provides the university with the Canvas learning management system was able to restore service to the platform. After a series of tests, Virginia Tech confirmed the stability of Canvas and restored service for students, faculty, and staff at 7:55 a.m. today. 

Users may need to clear the browser cache to log in to canvas.vt.edu. 

Please note that the rescheduling of all Friday exams to Sunday, May 10, is still in effect. This will allow students time to access their course materials and assignments in Canvas. No additional changes to the final exams schedule have been made.

The Provost’s Office has asked faculty to exercise appropriate flexibility with exams and other end-of-semester assignments where circumstances warrant. Faculty are not permitted to override the university decision to move all Friday final exams and/or assignments unless it is optional and the exam will also be offered as scheduled on Sunday. Faculty should work directly with their department heads, chairs, school directors, and departmental directors of undergraduate and graduate programs regarding individual circumstances and/or unique situations as they arise.

As a precautionary measure, faculty are encouraged to export a copy of their Canvas gradebook, if they use one, and download any student assignments or other materials in Canvas that they may need to complete the semester and finalize student grades. 

Virginia Tech will continue to provide updates as new information from the vendor or the university becomes available, or in the event that the situation changes. These updates will continue to be posted on this page

Be aware that after an incident like this, there is an increased likelihood of phishing emails or other cyber attacks. Please be watchful for the possibility of any such attempts. For complete information about how to protect yourself online, visit the Safe Online site.

9 a.m. Friday, May 8

Technical details and guidance

Virginia Tech continues to monitor and assess the recent cybersecurity attack involving the Canvas Learning Management System. Virginia Tech was one of more than 8,800 colleges and universities impacted by a criminal threat actor who obtained data associated with our Canvas accounts. No Virginia Tech systems have been compromised. 

As is good practice, users should avoid interacting with or clicking on any links, messages, or content that may be emailed or posted by threat actors or appear suspicious. Virginia Tech will never direct users to unverified third-party sites for Canvas-related communications or remediation activities. For more information on how to protect your personal data and accounts, visit the Safe Online site at https://safeonline.security.vt.edu/. 

The university will continue to provide updates on this matter. Continue to monitor this page for the latest information.

7:45 p.m. Thursday, May 7

Virginia Tech recognizes the significant impact the Canvas outage is having on students and faculty. At this time, the time to resolution of this outage is unknown.

Due to the impact this outage will have on students’ ability to prepare for final exams, finals scheduled on Friday, May 8, will be rescheduled for Sunday, May 10. All Friday exams will be held at the same times and locations as originally scheduled, but will be moved to Sunday.

We know that this change will create challenges for many in our community. As you are able, we ask for your understanding and flexibility in this situation. However, if you have any of the following challenges, please reach out to the indicated person.

• For religious accommodations, please reach out to your faculty member to reschedule.
• For undergraduate students, if this change causes you to have three or more exams in 24 hours, please contact the academic dean of your college. Visit this website for a list of academic deans.
• If you have an assignment due Thursday (today) or Friday that is dependent on Canvas, please reach out to your faculty member. 
• For on-campus students, please note that if the change to the exam schedule impacts your move-out time, you can still move out 24 hours after your last exam, including any rescheduled exams.

Virginia Tech continues to work to resolve this situation. All future updates will be posted on this page, and technical information will be posted at the 4Help Status page.

6:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7

Similar to other colleges and universities across the nation, Canvas is down and unavailable at Virginia Tech. The Division of Information Technology and Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies are working with the vendor, Instructure, to identify and resolve the problem.

We are aware of the impact on final exams and other end-of semester activities. Additional guidance will be shared soon via email and posted on this page. 

Technical updates on the Canvas outage are being shared on the 4Help Status page.