Canvas Outage Updates

11:30 a.m., May 8, 2026

Dear SMC Student:

On Thursday night (May 7), Instructure posted an update sharing that Canvas is now “available for most users.” Given the nature of this cybersecurity incident and in accordance with an advisory from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Santa Monica College will restore access to Canvas for student & faculty users after the College’s IT Department concludes a security assessment, which we anticipate will be complete by end of day, today (Friday, May 8).

The College and our IT Department continue to exercise the greatest caution and will notify our community via SMC email, the website, and our official social media channels when full access is restored. Remember to monitor your SMC email for updates and check the SMC “Canvas Outage Updates” webpage. Instructure also posted detailed FAQs about the incident that led to the shutdown of Canvas.

Taking the following precautions—even after the Canvas issue is resolved—is always a good idea, given the uncertainty of the digital landscape (if you receive anything suspicious, please forward it to StudentITHelp@smc.edu; SMC faculty/staff should email ITHelp@smc.edu):

• Do not click on suspicious links, pop-ups, or unexpected messages from Canvas (or any other entity).
• Do not provide personal, financial, or login information in response to unfamiliar prompts.

We know this is a stressful situation as we approach the end of Spring 2026. Rest assured that SMC faculty and all of us at the College continue to center your academic progress. We are here to ensure that you can stay on track for a successful completion of this semester.

Sincerely,

Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President

7:15 a.m., May 8, 2026

Canvas remains unavailable until an appropriate security validation process has been completed. An additional update will be provided by 11:30 a.m.

8:30 p.m., May 7, 2026

SMC Colleagues:

We are sharing the below update from California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian, which contains some critical information regarding the Instructure (Canvas) cybersecurity incident. This is the last scheduled update on this issue for today.

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A Message from Chancellor Sonya Christian

May 7, 2026 (8:30 pm update)

CEO Colleagues:

Here is the most recent update that Jory Hadell sent CISOs of our system.

CISO Colleagues, 
As campus-by-campus access to Canvas begins to be restored, the Chancellor’s Office, in collaboration with the CCC Security Center, recommend districts take the following precautionary measures until further guidance is provided by the Chancellor’s Office: 

1. Until the Chancellor’s Office has documented assurances directly from Instructure that students and employees are no longer at risk from this threat actor, colleges are requested to limit staff and students’ ability to access Canvas.  It is critical that we as a system remain cautious until we have completed our due diligence regarding security and provide additional guidance regarding any technical measures we may recommend prior to restoring general access.
2. The Chancellor’s Office and CCC Security Center recommendation is that colleges should temporarily redirect students and staff away from accessing Canvas should it come back online without notice. Although determining risk tolerance is up to individual districts, at this time the Chancellor’s Office cannot provide indemnity or assurances for a platform we do not fully control.  

Respectfully, 
Jory Hadsell 

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May 7, 2026 (5:45 pm update)

CEO Colleagues:

You may have heard that Canvas has been removed from the extortion list. While that is a positive development, and it is quite possible that Canvas may come back online sooner rather than later, we are not there yet.

Even with this progress, there are important security protocols that must be completed. The Security Center needs to validate the system, confirm data integrity, and ensure that the environment is secure before restoring full access. That process is deliberate and necessary to protect our students, faculty, and staff.

In the meantime, I wanted to share responses to a set of questions raised, which may be helpful as you are fielding similar questions on your campuses.

1. Does Instructure have full control of their servers/data/etc?
It is my understanding that Instructure continues to maintain control of the Canvas platform, including its infrastructure and security response. Their systems were placed offline in "maintenance mode” in response to this incident, and it is our understanding that was done as a precautionary measure, and they are actively working to secure and validate the Canvas environment before restoring access.

2. Has Instructure communicated how they will release updates and the timeline?
Instructure is providing updates through their official status page and direct communications to system partners. However, as is typical during an active cybersecurity incident and investigation, they are not providing firm timelines and some information cannot be shared with their clients. We are in regular contact and will share verified updates as they become available.

You can also direct your campus community to the California Community Colleges Security Center’s Canvas Incident Report page for the most up-to-date information.

3. Are they validating data before restoring access?
Yes. Instructure is following standard cybersecurity protocols.  Securing the system, investigating the issue, and validating data integrity before bringing systems back online. This follows industry best practices to ensure Canvas’s safe and stable restoration.

4. Messaging about “maintenance” vs. accuracy
We agree that clarity matters. Although we always prefer clarity and accuracy, we assume they have taken to calling this a “maintenance” issue given the sensitivity surrounding cybersecurity incidents and associated ransom demands. 

Nevertheless, we are directing our campus community to our systemwide security center website to access the latest system validated information available. 

Additionally, the official Instructure status page reflects the most current information from Instructure.

5. Access to saved course data/pages
While in “maintenance mode” institutions cannot access Canvas-hosted content when the system is offline. Recovery and restoration are being managed centrally by Instructure. We will share updates if any interim access options become available.

6. What should colleges do as we approach end of term?
At this point, there is no systemwide directive, but we are actively coordinating and beginning contingency planning.

• Jory Hadsell and his team are working closely with Instructure to understand the situation and to anticipate their next communication, including timing and restoration steps.
• James Todd is working with CIOs and Academic Senate leadership to begin coordinated contingency planning and compile best practices.

In the meantime, colleges should begin preparing for short-term disruption by focusing on:

• Alternative communication channels between faculty and students (email, LMS backups, Zoom, etc.)
• Flexibility in assignment deadlines and assessments
• Coordination with faculty leadership on grading scenarios
• Faculty coordination on how courses can be completed if Canvas continues to be offline (e.g., alternative submission methods, modified grading approaches)
• Local alignment with Academic Senate leadership.

You can expect several follow-up communications with more detailed guidance and emerging best practices as we learn from colleges and continue coordination at the system level.

Our collective hope is that this issue gets resolved sooner than later.

Thnx
sonya

6 p.m. May 7, 2026

Dear SMC Student:

We are writing to provide an update on the Instructure cybersecurity incident that is impacting Canvas users at Santa Monica College, across the California Community Colleges system, and nationwide. Canvas is currently down systemwide; SMC’s IT Department has disabled the ability for our users to login to the Canvas page through our website, out of an abundance of caution, instead redirecting users to a webpage where the latest updates are posted.

The Latest Update:
Students, please monitor your SMC student email to receive the latest updates from your instructor and from the College. As of this evening, Instructure is reporting that Canvas has been placed in maintenance mode. Their update reads: “We anticipate being up soon, and will provide updates as soon as possible.”

Safety Precautions:
SMC Academic Affairs and faculty leadership are discussing ways to ensure continuity of instruction & services in the event that the Canvas outage continues to persist. Based on this evening’s update, we are cautiously optimistic that the system will be restored in the very near future.  Please continue to take the following precautions, at all times:

• Do not click on suspicious links, pop-ups, or unexpected messages from Canvas.
• Do not provide personal, financial, or login information in response to unfamiliar prompts.

For more information (from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Updated 10:30 a.m., May 7, 2026): Questions and Answers related to this cybersecurity incident.

We will continue to provide regular updates and guidance to the college community, and want to reiterate that, at this time, there is no indication that Santa Monica College systems have been compromised. We realize that this disruption comes at an extremely inconvenient time, as students and faculty prepare for finals. The College is committed to supporting our community through this time of uncertainty. Protecting the privacy and security of student and employee information remains a top priority; the College’s IT Department and our Information Systems Security Officer continue to monitor this situation around the clock, and is interfacing with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Instructure (Canvas), and our technology partners to ensure that the SMC community is receiving the latest information.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate this situation.

Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President

2 p.m., May 7, 2026

We want to make you aware that Instructure, the company that operates Canvas, has reported a cybersecurity incident that is impacting Canvas users nationwide.

While the investigation continues, we ask all students and employees do not attempt to sign in to Canvas and to take the following precautions:

• Do not click on suspicious links, pop-ups, or unexpected messages from Canvas.
• Do not provide personal, financial, or login information in response to unfamiliar prompts.

At this time, there is no indication that Santa Monica College systems have been compromised. However, we believe it is important to keep our campus community informed while additional information becomes available.

We understand situations like this can be concerning and appreciate your patience and cooperation. Protecting the privacy and security of our students and employees remains a top priority.

Additional updates will be shared as we receive more information from Canvas and our technology partners.

Check Canvas Status