We want to make you aware of a cybersecurity incident involving Instructure, the company behind the Canvas learning management system.
Instructure has notified us they experienced a cybersecurity data breach that affects customers who use the Canvas platform. The company is still investigating the incident and its extent.
Here is what we know at this time:
- SWOCC’s own network and systems were not involved in the incident.
- Instructure has indicated that the cybercriminals may have accessed names, email addresses, and student ID numbers, as well as some messages between users.
- There is no evidence at this time that passwords, dates of birth or other information were involved.
- Instructure reports that it has taken steps to secure its systems and believes the incident has been contained.
- It is not possible to access SWOCC’s passwords through Canvas, as SWOCC students and staff connect to Canvas via a secure single sign-on system.
What you should do:
- We recommend you change your SWOCC password. Password Reset Help doc.
- If you have used your personal email within Canvas, we recommend that you change your personal email password.
- Be especially wary of emails and texts that claim to be from SWOCC or Instructure/Canvas that ask you to “confirm” login details, open unexpected attachments (like “new assignments”), or pay fees via unusual methods. Cybercriminals like to reuse stolen data to make phishing and scam messages more convincing, mentioning real school names, teachers, or courses.
Please, be alert to unsolicited emails or messages that appear to come from Canvas. Report anything suspicious to soc@socc.edu.
The College is actively monitoring this issue and will share updates when we learn more.
