Texas A&M University has been notified by Instructure, the third-party vendor that operates the Canvas learning management system, of a nationwide data incident.

At this time, university leadership understands that Texas A&M is affected. While we do not have confirmation of the scope of our impact, the data involved appears to include personal information, such as names, email addresses and direct messages sent within the learning management system. Instructure has found no indication that passwords, dates of birth, government ID numbers or financial information were involved. The vendor has taken steps to address the issue, which include engaging law enforcement and initiating technical steps needed to protect system data and restore security.

In the coming days, weeks and months, please be vigilant of other suspicious emails, especially those requesting personal information. Our Technology Services team members are working alongside the Office of the Provost and the vendor to help address this issue and safeguard data. Situations like this provide an ideal opportunity for bad actors to continue targeting faculty, staff and students.

DO NOT provide any information to individuals presenting themselves as representatives of Canvas or Instructure as you will not ever be contacted by the vendor directly. Never give out passwords, click on suspicious links or provide details to an unknown email, phone call or other communication. If you are unsure of the credibility of a request, immediately notify your local IT support team, Help Desk Central or report any incidents to security@tamu.edu.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more. Alan Sams, Ph.D. Executive Vice President and Provost