A cyberattack on Instructure’s Canvas disrupted access for students and staff worldwide, forcing thousands of schools to pause coursework, extend deadlines, and improvise learning alternatives during final exams. The incident affected nearly 9,000 institutions. The breach accelerated scrutiny of how universities have become dependent on a small number of centralized digital vendors acting as de facto critical infrastructure. The disruption also highlighted operational resiliency gaps for institutions whose teaching models rely heavily on a single learning management system. For campus leaders, the event is a forcing function for risk management: backup teaching plans, stronger vendor accountability, and continuity planning for peak academic periods.