PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) - Canvas was slowly coming back online this afternoon for some schools and universities across the country, including College of the Desert, after a nationwide cyberattack disrupted access for millions of students and educators during finals week.

Canvas, a cloud-based platform used by millions of students and educators, experienced widespread outages Thursday after hackers reportedly threatened to release user information.

The disruption came at a critical time, as many students were preparing for final exams and completing last-minute coursework.

At College of the Desert, students reported stress and confusion after losing access to assignments, study guides, and online testing materials for several hours. Some said exams were interrupted while others were unable to log in to complete scheduled coursework.

Amanda Phillips, Vice President of Student Services at College of the Desert, said the outage created major challenges because students depend on Canvas to actively participate in class, especially during finals week.

She said the college worked closely with Canvas parent company Instructure to restore service and encouraged faculty to work with students who may have lost valuable time due to the outage.

Phillips also reassured students that sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, and banking information were not stored on Canvas, though names and coursework may have been affected.