HOUSTON – A cybersecurity attack targeting the Canvas learning platform disrupted access for millions of students and teachers nationwide Thursday, including several major school districts and universities across Texas.
Among the schools and institutions impacted were the Houston Independent School District, Katy Independent School District, Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, the University of Houston, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University.
The Associated Press reported that the hacking group “ShinyHunters” is claiming responsibility for the cyberattack.
Canvas is used daily by thousands of schools and universities for assignments, lecture videos, grades, course materials, and communication between students and teachers.
The attack comes at a critical time as students prepare for final exams and complete end-of-year assignments.
Here in Houston, HISD confirmed the district was impacted by the outage.
In a statement sent to staff and families, HISD said the issue was tied directly to the Canvas platform and was outside of the district’s control.
“This afternoon, a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas impacted school districts and other institutions nationwide,” the district said. “Canvas is actively working to secure its systems and restore access as quickly as possible.”
HISD officials said district teams remain in contact with Canvas representatives regarding updates and restoration efforts.
To help minimize classroom disruptions, HISD said it is creating a temporary Google site that will allow teachers to continue accessing curriculum materials while Canvas remains offline.
“We recognize the disruption this may cause and appreciate your patience and cooperation as Canvas works to resolve the issue,” the district said.
The cyberattack is reportedly impacting more than 9,000 schools nationwide and could potentially place millions of students’ personal data at risk, though officials have not yet confirmed whether any data was compromised.
Because Canvas serves as a central hub for coursework and communication, many students temporarily lost access to assignments, study materials, grades, and messaging systems during the outage.
Students, parents, and teachers are encouraged to monitor updates from their schools as Canvas works to restore service.