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Vanderbilt says it is responding to a claimed BYOD ransomware attack
Vanderbilt University said Monday it is responding to a cybersecurity incident that may affect devices, systems, and cloud services; BleepingComputer reported the BYOD ransomware group claimed the attack.
Vanderbilt University said Monday it is responding to an active cybersecurity incident that may affect university devices, systems, and cloud-based services, according to BleepingComputer1.
In a statement posted on X, the Nashville university said, "We are currently responding to an active cybersecurity incident," and that its information technology team was investigating and working to contain the situation1.
As part of its response, Vanderbilt told students, faculty, and staff to shut down university devices, disconnect from university Wi-Fi, and watch for unexpected pop-ups, unusual file or permission changes in cloud storage, missing or modified files, unfamiliar applications, and unexpected authentication requests1. People who notice suspicious activity were told not to investigate themselves, but to shut devices down and contact the university IT service desk1.
The university has not publicly described the type of attack or said whether any data was stolen1. BleepingComputer said it asked Vanderbilt whether systems were encrypted, what data may have been taken, and whether the incident had been contained1.
On Monday, the BYOD ransomware group claimed the attack on its data leak site, alleging it had encrypted Vanderbilt's databases and stolen student, employee, and research data, including more than 1 million Social Security numbers and a takeover of a domain controller, BleepingComputer reported1. Those claims have not been independently verified in the reporting, and Vanderbilt has not confirmed the group's involvement1.
BleepingComputer said it received a photograph of an alleged computer screen showing Vanderbilt-associated icons and a ransom note named README_BYOD_31.txt, which linked to BYOD's leak site and listed SESSION messaging contacts; the outlet said it confirmed the link matches the site BYOD operates1. A video shared on YouTube and with the outlet showed infected devices playing audio that the network had been compromised by BYOD, the report said1.
BleepingComputer described BYOD as a relatively new ransomware group that launched in 2026 and listed five other organizations on its leak site, including a claim last month against the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center1.
