Nicholls was notified on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, that a data breach at Instructure, whose Canvas platform supports learning at 41% of higher education institutions in North America, has impacted Nicholls data stored on their servers. Because Nicholls uses two-factor authentication, MyNicholls IDs and passwords were not stored on Instructure’s servers. This incident was not directed at Nicholls, but is part of a larger breach that impacted a yet to be determined number of their higher education customers.
Instructure detected and addressed the breach and is closely monitoring its infrastructure. The company has contracted with a forensics firm to investigate the extent of the breach and will provide a full accounting to Nicholls and other customers.
No action needs to be taken aside from continuing to remain diligent about basic cybersecurity protections, including:
- Beware of “phishy” messages.
- Do not click links in unsolicited messages claiming to be from Canvas, Instructure, or Nicholls IT. Forward all suspicious messages you receive to phishing@nicholls.edu.
- Access Canvas and other websites directly
- Avoid clicking links whenever possible to access online resources.
- The university will update the campus community as we receive additional information from Instructure.
Please contact itsupport@nicholls.edu if you have any questions or need support.