Update: 2pm Friday 8 May 2026

Our online learning management system Canvas has been experiencing a global outage since around 6:00 am AEST this morning. Instructure, the vendor of Canvas, has placed Canvas into maintenance mode while they investigate a global cybersecurity breach. We are one of approximately 9000 institutions around the world that are impacted by this outage, and we are still waiting for advice from Instructure.

We understand this situation is impacting the ability of our students and staff to access some learning materials and assessments including examination activities, and appreciate how disruptive this is at a critical time in the semester.

Our teams are working to understand the extent of the situation and minimise the impact for our community. We will continue to provide updates on the University website and our regular communications channels as more information becomes available.

What our students and staff need to know

• Canvas is unavailable. Do not attempt to log in to Canvas. We will update you when access to Canvas is restored.
• Students will not be penalised for any assessments due during the duration of the outage.
•  Examinations impacted by the outage will be re-scheduled.
• Students will automatically be granted an extension, or provided a mark adjustment or alternative arrangements for any assessment impacted by the outage.
• We will provide more information as it becomes available.

What students and staff need to do

• Attend classes and in-person assessments as usual.
• 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.

Support is available for anyone in our community who is feeling concerned or requires support. Student Wellbeing services are available to all students, including international and offshore students, and can be accessed 24/7. 24/7 counselling services and wellbeing support is available for any staff or their immediate family members.

We thank our students and staff for their patience and understanding while we work to resolve this issue.

Update: 9am Friday 8 May 2026

We have been informed Canvas has been down globally from 6am AEST. We’re working to understand and mitigate the impacts for our community, and will provide a further update later today. 

Wednesday 6 May 2026

The University is aware of a cyber incident involving the Canvas learning management system.

Instructure, the vendor of Canvas, has confirmed that University of Sydney data has been impacted by a cyber security breach. The University is one of approximately 9000 educational institutions worldwide that is potentially impacted.

We are engaging with the vendor to confirm if any personal data from our community has been compromised. If a breach of personal data has occurred, we will notify affected individuals and work closely with the National Office of Cybersecurity to manage the impact of the incident.

Students and staff can still access Canvas, and the platform is operating as normal.

We understand this news may cause concern, and we want to remind you that there are resources available if you need support.

• Student Wellbeing services are free and confidential for all students, including international and offshore students, and can be contacted 24/7.
• 24/7 counselling services and wellbeing support is available for any staff or their immediate family members.

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

While there is no immediate action required, incidents of this nature can increase the risk of phishing attempts. We encourage you to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity, and review guidance on identifying and avoiding scams.