CANVAS HACK DISRUPTS US EXAMS DURING FINALS

Instructure's Canvas, a widely used platform for managing course materials and administering exams, went down due to a cyberattack affecting institutions nationwide. The timing proved particularly disruptive, hitting schools during peak examination season when students rely on the platform to access tests and submit coursework. Multiple US colleges responded by delaying exam schedules to accommodate the disruption and allow system recovery. The outage left students unable to access courses and take scheduled assessments, creating logistical challenges for academic calendars already compressed by semester timelines. Canvas serves thousands of educational institutions ranging from K-12 schools to major universities. The platform's central role in modern education infrastructure meant the breach affected a substantial portion of the student population across the country. Schools were forced to implement contingency plans, including rescheduling exams and communicating with students about access restoration timelines. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, works to restore full system functionality. Educational institutions continue assessing the scope of the breach and its impact on exam schedules and student records. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in critical education technology infrastructure and raises questions about backup systems and disaster recovery protocols. For students already managing exam stress, the outage added unexpected complications. Those with exams scheduled during the window had to adapt to postponed test dates. The disruption underscores the dependency schools have on single platforms for mission-critical academic functions.