Fresno State warns of phishing risks following global Canvas cybersecurity incident

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Fresno State is alerting students, faculty, and staff about a recent global cybersecurity incident involving Instructure, the company that provides the university’s Canvas learning platform.

In an update shared by the university, officials said Instructure has reached an agreement with the threat actors responsible for the incident. As part of that agreement, the actors reportedly provided evidence that they deleted the data they had accessed and stated they will not publicly release it or contact universities or individuals to demand payment.

University officials emphasized that protecting the privacy and security of the campus community remains a top priority and said they have been working closely with Instructure while monitoring the situation.

“We are sharing the full statement from Instructure on Fresno State’s update page,” the university said.

We will continue to share updates if more information becomes available.

While Instructure says the data has been deleted, Fresno State is warning the campus community to remain alert for potential phishing attempts that may reference Canvas, assignments, grades, account logins, password resets, or multi-factor authentication requests.

Officials say students and employees should avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls claiming to be from Canvas, Instructure, or university technology services.

Instead, users are urged to access Canvas directly through the official Fresno State website and to report suspicious messages to the Information Security team at reportphishing@mail.fresnostate.edu.

University officials also stressed that the California State University system will never ask students or faculty to pay for Canvas access, exams, or related services.

Fresno State says it is aware of circulating rumors and misinformation related to the incident and is encouraging the campus community to rely only on verified updates from official sources, including the Fresno State Canvas update page, CSU incident reports, and Instructure’s security updates and FAQs.

For technical support, the Technology Service Desk is available at 559-278-5000. Students seeking support or counseling services can contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at 559-278-2734.

Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Dr. Bao Johri said the university will continue to prioritize transparency as the situation develops.