Canvas got hacked :/

Author

Carly Heltzel
May 08, 2026

Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m reading about the past victims of the ShinyHunters cybercrime group (see summary 1). Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Canvas got hacked. I’m sure all you students know by now that the learning management system is down, and a cybercrime group called ShinyHunters claims to be holding hostage data from 9,000 schools and 275 million users across the country. The group left a very threatening and hacker-y message on the dashboards of certain canvas users with red blocky text on a black screen. They say a ransom is due by May 12 or they will leak the user data.

2.

Cal Poly spent $1,007,334 on its St. Fratty’s day music festival this year. Last year, Cal Poly spent upwards of $1.1 million. Here’s the breakdown of where they spent it this year: $597,668 went to putting on the concert, $49,257 went to concert security, $271,613 went to non-concert campus security costs and $88,794 went to other on-campus response and support. These numbers could change slightly as final invoices come through, a spokesperson said. 

3.

The sheriff’s search for Kristin Smart’s body will last at least two to three days at the home of her convicted killer’s mother, and seek to “overturn every rock humanly possible.” The sheriff said he believes her body was at “one time” at Paul Flores’ father’s house (Ruben Flores was tried and acquitted) but was later moved — the goal is to find where her remains were moved to. He also said the warrant only was approved due to newly available soil testing technology.

4.

The U.S. dollar is now worth less than it had been in the last four years. This means prices could increase for imported goods, as seen by one downtown store owner who imports her products from around the world. Since January 2025, when it peaked, the U.S. dollar has dropped up to 6%. And while depreciation can have benefits for tourism, one economics professor said people are avoiding travel to the U.S. for political reasons. 

5.

You can hold week-old lambs, play chicken-poo bingo and watch a wool production demonstration tomorrow at City Farm SLO’s 5th annual Sheep Shearing Shindig. The event is free of charge, lasts from noon to 4 p.m. and will offer live music and local farm-to-table food vendors. The goal is to educate people and give them a glimpse into the unique aspects of raising sheep. Plus some fun for the kids.