Canvas hacking affects Va. schools, Sen. Lucas continues duties, cruise outbreak: Sunrise Brief

Stream News 3 This Morning live:

Top stories: Canvas hacking affects Va. schools, Sen. Lucas continues duties, cruise outbreak

1. A number of public schools and colleges across Virginia appear to be having issues with Canvas — an online tool used by education institutions — possibly in regards to a malicious data breach.

   Canvas cyberattack during finals week leaves ODU students searching for answers

   A message from the purported hackers, who call themselves "Shiny Hunters" — possibly a Pokemon reference — said: "If any of the schools in the affected list are interested in preventing the release of their data, please consult with a cyber advisory firm and contact us privately at TOX to negotiate a settlement. You have till the end of the day by 12 May 2026 before everything is leaked."

   The message then had an attached list, which named a number of Virginia school systems: Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Chesapeake Public Schools, Mathews County Public Schools, Isle of Wight County Public Schools, Accomack County Public Schools, Virginia's Community Colleges, Old Dominion University, Regent University, Christopher Newport University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Virginia State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Hampton University, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

   Shortly after the message appeared for some Canvas users, the systems were inaccessible. Virginia Beach City Public Schools notified families and staff about a "cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain student and staff information" in regards to a Canvas data breach. In their message, they said the incident may have happened in late April, and that it was first reported to them on May 1. VBCPS says impacted students will not be penalized for missed assignments. They also said the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Fusion Center and legal counsel have been contacted.

2. Sen. Louise Lucas continued her legislative duties on Thursday after the FBI raided her business and The Cannabis Outlet that she co-owns on Wednesday.

   Sen. Lucas continues legislative work following FBI raid

   Agents were inside her business until about 7 p.m. The day after the raid, the business appeared to be operating normally, while The Cannabis Outlet was closed. Lucas returned to work Thursday morning, participating virtually in a Joint Commission on Health Care hearing. The FBI has not publicly confirmed why agents were searching the properties. The New York Times reports the investigation is connected to possible corruption related to marijuana dispensary businesses and that it began under the Biden administration.

   As the FBI was inside her business, Lucas did not make any comments to reporters. Later that evening, she posted on social media. "What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them," Lucas said. Democratic Party of Virginia Chair and Henrico State Sen. Lamont Bagby said he spoke with Lucas following the raid. "Hell yeah it's politically motivated, like what kind of game are we playing, yes it's politically motivated," said Bagby. "She's in good spirits and clearly there's no big secret of what this is all about, she has the right people around her and she'll approach it in true Senator Lucas fashion."

   Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche made brief comments about the raid in an interview with CBS News. "There are times when an investigation goes overt and you execute search warrants. That's what happened today. It would not be fair to anybody involved for me to comment. This was a law enforcement operation during the course of a criminal investigation," Blanche said. Blanche also pushed back on criticisms that the Trump administration is prosecuting people for political retribution. "It is simply not true, it is absolutely not true," Blanche said. It remains unclear whether Lucas or anyone else will face charges, but many in the community are closely following what happens next.

3. At least five state health departments in the U.S. are monitoring a small group of Americans who returned to the country after disembarking from a cruise ship that is experiencing a deadly hantavirus outbreak overseas.

   Several states monitoring former cruise ship passengers for hantavirus

   According to Oceanwide Expeditions, a total of 30 people, including six American passengers, left the cruise late last month after the first leg of the trip and before anyone had confirmed the deadly outbreak. The illness is believed to have killed three people and infected at least eight others who were on the ship.

   Health authorities in California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, and Texas say they are monitoring the situation. The Virginia traveler who was on the MV Hondius has returned home and is not showing signs of the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). VDH says the Virginian is currently in good health, adding that they believe "the risk to the general public to be low," according to a statement sent to News 3.

   While the virus is generally spread through contact with animals, these cases appear to originate from the Andes strain, which is known to allow human-to-human transmission. Health officials say the virus generally spreads through close, prolonged contact with other people. The virus has an incubation period of up to six weeks, meaning new cases remain possible. Officials said Thursday that remaining passengers have not shown signs of illness. The ship is expected to dock in the Canary Islands this weekend, although it is unclear when passengers will be allowed to disembark. The CDC said it has confirmed several Americans on the ship have tested positive for hantavirus, but maintains that the risk to the general public in the United States is “extremely low.”

This morning's weather: Back to sunshine today, Warming up this weekend

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says a cooler start this morning with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. We will see lots of sunshine today with highs near 70 and a light wind.

We will warm back to the upper 70s and low 80s this weekend. Expect partly cloudy skies, a few scattered showers, and breezy conditions on Saturday. We will see partly cloudy skies with a lower rain chance and lighter winds on Mother’s Day.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

Traffic map:

Interactive Traffic Map

For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

WTKR News 3, Where You Are: In the app

Follow us on social