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An update on the Canvas incident

9 May 2026

Dear students,

I am writing to provide you with an update on the cyber incident that targeted Canvas and has affected nearly 9000 institutions globally.

We know this disruption has been frustrating and concerning, particularly at such a critical time in the semester, so we thank you for your patience and understanding.

We have received advice from the National Office of Cyber Security (NOCS), who met with representatives from Canvas earlier today. Instructure, the vendor of Canvas, has advised that the environment is secure and there is no evidence that the threat actor still has access to the platform. Instructure has also confirmed that the platform is back online and shared more information and FAQs on the incident on their website.

Following this update from NOCS, we conducted a review and test of the University's Canvas environment. Based on our thorough checks, we are confident there are no integrity issues and there is no unauthorised access to our environment. Importantly, there is no evidence that there has been any loss of University data, and we have reactivated access to our Canvas environment.

What you need to know

The University has now restored your access to Canvas. You can log in to the platform like normal.
We will apply automatic assessment extensions to ensure no one is negatively affected by this outage:
- Due dates for assessments which are submitted through Canvas (written work, presentations, portfolios, theses, case studies, data analysis and research work) originally from Friday 8 May to midnight Monday 11 May will be extended by five days. This includes due dates for students holding special consideration or a simple extension for this period.
- Due dates for assessments which are submitted through Canvas originally from Tuesday 12 May to midnight Friday 15 May will be extended by three days. This includes due dates for students holding special consideration or a simple extension for this period.
- In-semester tests and in-class assessments requiring preparation will be moved back at least three days, subject to feasibility.
Your unit coordinator will provide advice on other assessments next week.
Your unit outline will be updated early next week with the new dates for assessments. You will be advised through the special considerations system if you have an active application.
Due to the anticipated volume of users trying to log in to Canvas, you may experience intermittent delays when attempting to access the platform.

What you need to do

We recommend you take this opportunity to review your content in Canvas and ensure nothing has changed and everything appears as expected.
If you notice anything unusual or that there have been changes to your materials, contact the Student Centre on 1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864).
Be alert for phishing attempts and scam emails. We encourage you to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity, and review guidance on identifying and avoiding scams.
Keep personal backups of your work to mitigate the impact of potential outages or access issues. Learn how you can download content from your Canvas courses to study offline.

Support available

We recognise that incidents like this can create stress and uncertainty, especially when you’re managing study and assessments.

We will have a Student Centre team in operation tomorrow (Sunday 10 May) from 9 am to 5 pm. You can contact them on the standard Student Centre number – 1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) – for any queries relating to this incident or your studies.

If you are feeling concerned or require support, Student Wellbeing services are available to all students, including international and offshore students, and can be accessed 24/7.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our University supports if you need them.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding as we worked to restore services safely and securely.

Kind regards,
Joanne Wright

Professor Joanne Wright
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students)

We recognise and pay respect to the Elders and communities – past, present, and emerging – of the lands that the University of Sydney's campuses stand on. For thousands of years they have shared and exchanged knowledges across innumerable generations for the benefit of all.

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