Guidance for Canvas Cybersecurity Incident

We have continued to monitor the Canvas cybersecurity incident and while it is not fully resolved, risk has reduced to a level that will allow us to provide instructors with partial access to Canvas to conduct the work needed to close the semester.

Instructors will receive access to Canvas in view-only mode at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026. This access will be limited to view-only mode – additions or deletions will not be possible, but gradebooks, assignments, and other materials will be downloadable. Please don’t ask students to login to Canvas through any platform (web or app) as they will not be able to submit exams, assignments or projects and the guidance regarding these items remains.  This will also help us mitigate any risk or exposure that might otherwise accompany their access to the system (see Faculty Decision Guide: Final Grades During LMS Outage below).

While accessing Canvas in view-only mode mitigates risks as much as possible, we acknowledge some risk remains, including the possibility of another Canvas outage before all final grades are submitted.  Our goal for allowing view-only access is to assist faculty with closing the semester. Should risks associated with Canvas increase again, we will communicate next steps.

View-only mode in Canvas allows instructors to view all Canvas-embedded materials and data for all of their courses, including student submissions, grades and sandbox courses. To reiterate, instructors will be unable to work in Canvas other than to view or download data. To work with data embedded in Canvas, it needs to be downloaded using standard processes within Canvas.

Many third-party applications associated with Canvas are not available as they have opted to stay disconnected from Canvas at this time. For example, Honorlock and Panopto are currently not connecting with Canvas. Should any third-party application decide to reengage with Canvas, you will be able to access the functionality of the third party applications through Canvas. 

Due to the disruption caused by the Canvas outage and security issues, instructors will have a 24-hour extension for final grade submissions. The due date for final grades to be submitted is 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

In the event that Canvas experiences additional security or operational issues again, ISU has access to Canvas grade information that was submitted up until 12 p.m. May 7.  We will be able to use this data to issue final course grades to students. Instructions for how to access that data will be sent in the future, if another issue is experienced.

Faculty Decision Guide: Final Grades During LMS Outage

General Principles to follow:  this LMS compromise should be treated less as an individual student and faculty problem and more as an institutional continuity and equity problem. The key principles by which we will operate are:

1. preserve fairness,
2. avoid penalizing students for infrastructure failure,
3. maintain defensible academic standards, and
4. document everything carefully.

How will exams, assignments and projects be handled?

 

Step 1. Was the final exam scheduled to be taken by students after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 or at any time on Friday, May 8?

• Yes: The final exam is canceled, will not be rescheduled or included in the final grade calculation for the course, and cannot negatively impact final grades.
• No: The final exam should have been completed before the Canvas outage.

 

Step 2: Did an exam, assignment or project have a deadline for completion that fell after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 or at any time on Friday, May 8? 

• Yes and the exam, assignment or project was completed: May be included in the final grade calculation for the course.
• Yes and the exam, assignment or project was NOT completed before 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7: Will not be rescheduled or included in the final grade calculation for the course and cannot negatively impact final grades.
• No: The exam, assignment or project should have been completed before the Canvas outage and may be included in the final grade calculation for the course.

 

Step 3: Was the exam, assignment or project completed prior to 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7?

• Yes, it was completed: The exam, assignment or project may be included in the final grade calculation for the course regardless of its due date.
• No, it was NOT completed and the exam, assignment or project had a deadline before 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7: The assignment will be graded appropriately and included in the final grade calculation for the course.

 

Step 4: Was an exam, assignment or project submitted in Canvas before 12 p.m. on Thursday May 7? 

• Yes, it was submitted in Canvas and it was graded: ISU was able to capture all course gradebooks, including individual assignment grades, already entered into Canvas as of 12 p.m., Thursday, May 7, 2026. 
• Yes and it was submitted in Canvas, but it was NOT graded: The exam, assignment or project was not accessible in Canvas during the outage, and therefore should be excluded from final grade calculation for the course.

 

Can students choose to resubmit ungraded exams, assignments or projects to receive a grade that will be included in final grade calculation? Yes: Students can work with course instructors to resubmit exams, assignments and projects that had been previously submitted but had not yet received a grade. The resubmission must be completed no later than Monday, May 11, 2026 by 9 a.m.

 

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:  

• Do not attempt to develop alternative options, including Moodle, that would require students to complete exams or assignments that were canceled after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
• As a general rule, any item locked in Canvas and inaccessible to a course instructor through alternative means should be extracted from the final grade with no penalty to the student.  
• When it is necessary to exclude items from the final grade, the item should not be awarded any points, and the total possible point value associated with the item should also be removed from the total available points for the course.

Most Common Questions

Why did the Canvas outage require the cancellation of all final exams after 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 7? Canvas hosts an enormous amount of educational material and tools that students may need access to in order to properly prepare for an exam, such as course material, syllabi, discussion boards, communication, tool access, etc.  Even at times when faculty member requirements for the use of Canvas are modest, the student may have used the LMS to a significant degree to navigate their educational experience.  We could not guarantee access to such material, so we could not guarantee equitable opportunity to prepare for these exams.  Therefore, we made a decision that was likely to be in the best interest of most students across our campus.

 

Can we use P/NP options? No, the registrar’s office cannot implement this change in the timeline we have available to us before grades will need to be rolled.  Failing to roll grades in a timely manner will create a cascade effect that will impact summer financial aid awards, degree certification with the U.S. Department of Education, and transcript generation and submission for other purposes (licensure exams, certifications, etc.).

 

Can we offer grade submission extensions for faculty? We are extending until Wednesday, May 13 at 5 p.m. We cannot extend this deadline beyond this point as the limiting constraints are again related to summer financial aid awards, degree certification with the U.S. Department of Education, and transcript generation and submission for other purposes (licensure exams, certifications, etc.).

 

Why are we canceling final exams even when an exam may have had nothing to do with Canvas?  Even though not all exams were in Canvas, the institutional response of canceling finals was to ensure equity across the institution. Study materials, previously graded materials that may have needed to be referenced, communication within the Canvas instance that would have been of value to the student in preparing for the exam, etc. were not accessible.  An institutional decision that was as equitable as possible for all students was necessary and was made.

 

How should we handle or funnel student concerns about this issue and its impact on their academics?  When a student raises concerns that cannot be resolved by their faculty instructor, those should be forwarded to the chair who should consult with the Dean when needed.  The Dean may escalate to the Provost office as needed.  When making decisions, please follow the principles articulated above.

 

Will there be an appeal process for students who have concerns about decisions related to whether a grade was included or excluded in the final grade?  A process for appealing grades is articulated in the relevant undergraduate or graduate catalog and should be used when appropriate.  If students have concerns about other decisions related to this disruption they should raise those with their faculty instructor and those concerns may be handled as discussed in the previous question response.   

 

Can our students still complete course evaluations?  Yes, students have been sent instructions on how to access these evaluations directly in Watermark rather than through the Canvas portal.

 

Can students submit final assignments or projects if they want to, even if it is after 12 p.m. on Thursday?  Yes, if a student has a project or assignment with a deadline that falls somewhere between Thursday at noon through the end of the day on Friday, they have the choice to submit it but will not be required to do so.  Students who do NOT submit their project or assignment cannot be penalized. Any assignments students choose to submit must be sent to the faculty member no later than Monday, May 11, at 9 a.m.  PLEASE REMEMBER:  Final Exams have been canceled effective Thursday, May 7 at noon and any final exams not completed and submitted prior to this time will be excluded from the final grade.

 

What should we tell students that believe that without Canvas the university will be unable to issue them course grades?  The university has access to all the grade information needed to issue final course grades to students.

 

Will faculty be able to submit their grades through Banner?  Yes, our Banner system has not been affected by this event. Faculty can and will continue to be able to submit final grades to Banner.

 

If faculty have kept a duplicate gradebook and do not need the information from ITS can they proceed with submitting final grades in Banner immediately?  Yes.

 

Will book rentals still be due at the usual deadline? Yes. Our response to this event should not necessitate an extension of that deadline as all exams, assignments, and projects will have been completed prior to that deadline.

 

How will this impact summer course development?  We are currently analyzing options for summer course development and delivery and will have more information as soon as possible.

 

We will continue to address questions and concerns as they arise.