Emergency Alerts

STATUS: CANVAS OUTAGE RESOLVED

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UPDATE: May 8, 2026 | 1 p.m.
Email from Information Management and Technology

Dear Campus Community,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the recent disruption to Canvas, our learning management system, and the challenges it created — particularly given the timing at the end of the semester. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this caused and recognize the extra effort this required from our students, faculty and staff to adjust quickly. I appreciate the flexibility and patience shown by our university community.

As you know, the outage was the result of unauthorized activity within the Canvas LMS environment operated by our vendor Instructure, which impacted a number of institutions of higher education across the country. Canvas has since been restored, and based on the information currently available, it is safe to resume normal use.

In the interest of full transparency, I want to share what we know regarding the data involved in this incident. The vendor has notified us that UNC was among the organizations affected. According to information provided by Instructure, the data involved may include certain personal information such as names, email addresses, student ID numbers and messages exchanged within Canvas.

UNC does not store highly personal information in Canvas, such as dates of birth, government identification numbers or financial information.

At UNC, we take the security of our systems and data very seriously. While this incident occurred within a vendor-managed environment, our Information Management and Technology team has been actively engaged, monitoring developments and working closely with the vendor to understand the scope of the incident. At this time, there is no indication that UNC systems outside of Canvas were impacted. We will continue to stay in close contact with the vendor and share any relevant updates as more information becomes available.

For ongoing updates and additional information about the incident, including important FAQs for our university community, please visit our incident page at unco.edu/alerts.

Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation during this disruption.

Sincerely,
Phillip Wyperd
Chief Information Officer
Assistant Vice President Information Management and Technology

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UPDATE: May 8, 2026 | 8:30 a.m.

Canvas, UNC’s learning management system, has been restored. Based on the information currently available, it is safe to resume normal activity within the platform. 

Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, has reported unauthorized activity within the LMS environment and has taken steps to contain the activity, engaged external forensic experts and notified law enforcement. 

At this time, there is no indication that any UNC systems outside of Canvas were impacted. We are working with Instructure to understand the scope of the incident and will continue to monitor the situation and share updates as more information becomes available. 

For more information about the incident and steps taken by the vendor, please refer to Instructure’s official FAQ page: https://www.instructure.com/incident_update  

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INITIAL REPORT: May 7, 2026 | 4:30 p.m.

Canvas, UNC’s learning management system, is currently unavailable and has been down since approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

This is a nationwide issue affecting multiple higher education institutions. Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, is investigating the issue.

At this time, we do not have an estimated timeframe for restoration.

• Students should contact their instructors regarding assignments, finals or other deadlines.
• Faculty should use alternative methods, such as email, to communicate with students about coursework.

We understand the importance of Canvas to teaching and learning activities and recognize the disruption this may cause.

We will continue to share updates as additional information becomes available.

 

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FAQs For the Public  

Updated 5/8/2026 – 8:30 a.m.

When will Canvas be back online? 

Canvas has been restored and is available for normal use.

What should students do right now? 

Students who were impacted by the outage should look for communication from their instructors about how to complete coursework. If you do not receive guidance or still have questions, please reach out directly to your instructor.

What should faculty do right now? 

For exams that were scheduled and administered on May 7 through Canvas, please reschedule those assessments and communicate new timelines directly to your students as soon as possible. 

Do I need to reset my UNC password?

At this time, there is no need to reset your UNC password.

How can faculty access information from Canvas if needed? 

During the outage, faculty were encouraged to use any previously downloaded or saved records. Canvas has since been restored and course materials are now available.

Will grade deadlines be extended? 

During the outage, the university indicated that any decision regarding grade deadlines would be communicated as needed. Now that service has been restored, we don’t anticipate this will be an issue. 

Will this impact my graduation? 

No, the Canvas outage will not impact graduation.

Where will updates be posted? 

Updates will be shared through official university channels, including this webpage, as more information becomes available. 

Will this impact my financial aid? 

At the time of the outage, there was no indication that financial aid processing or disbursement would be impacted. That remains the case as financial aid systems operate separately from Canvas.

Will this impact summer coursework? 

At the time of the outage, there was no indication that summer coursework would be impacted. That remains the case.  

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In an emergency: Call or text 911

In non-emergency situations: Contact UNC PD at (970) 351-2245

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