Vanderbilt University hit by BYOD ransomware attack

Vanderbilt University is responding to an active cybersecurity incident that may impact campus devices, systems, and cloud-based services. The university instructed students, faculty, and staff to shut down their devices, disconnect from university Wi-Fi, and remain vigilant for suspicious activity, such as unexpected pop-ups or unauthorized file changes.

The ransomware group known as BYOD has claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that it encrypted the university’s databases and stole sensitive information belonging to students, employees, and researchers. While the group has made these claims on its leak site, the university has not yet publicly confirmed the extent of any data theft or whether systems have been encrypted.

This incident follows a pattern of recent high-profile attacks by the BYOD group, which has also targeted Michigan State University and the University of New Mexico. Vanderbilt’s IT team is currently working to investigate and contain the situation.