Vanderbilt University hit in BYOD ransomware attack, data theft claimed
Users must shut down university devices and leave university Wi-Fi; Vanderbilt has not confirmed encryption or stolen data.
Vanderbilt University said Monday it is responding to an active cybersecurity incident that may affect devices, systems, and cloud services. The BYOD ransomware gang claimed on its leak site that it encrypted university databases and stole student, employee, and research data. BleepingComputer reviewed a photo of a BYOD ransom note on a screen with Vanderbilt icons, but the university has not confirmed the gang, encryption, or theft.
Unconfirmed: Vanderbilt has not confirmed BYOD's role, encryption, or data theft; the million-SSN figure is the gang's claim.
- BYOD claims more than 1 million SSNs plus names, emails, phones, and records.
- The ransom note file is named README_BYOD_31.txt and links to a SESSION contact.
- BleepingComputer confirmed that link is BYOD's own data leak site.
- BYOD launched in 2026 and lists five other organizations on its leak site.
- Last month the gang claimed an attack on University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
Impact: Claimed encryption of databases and theft of student and employee data
- 1.Shut down university devices and disconnect from university Wi-Fi
- 2.Contact the IT service desk about suspicious activity; do not investigate it
- 3.Watch for unexpected pop-ups, file or permission changes, unfamiliar apps, and unexpected authentication requests
- Threat actors
- BYOD
- Victims
- Vanderbilt University
From the original article
3 min read at bleepingcomputer.com
Vanderbilt University warns it is responding to a cyberattack claimed by the BYOD ransomware gang, which claims to have encrypted the university's databases and stolen sensitive student, employee, and research data. [...]
By Lawrence Abrams · bleepingcomputer.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.