NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Vanderbilt University told students and employees on Monday to shut down university devices and disconnect from campus Wi-Fi as its IT team worked to contain a cybersecurity incident. UPDATE | Vanderbilt University reports some systems are back up after cyberattackClasses stayed on schedule, but students told FOX 17 News they had to switch to phone hotspots and printed handouts to keep up with their work. Vanderbilt’s latest update says campus Wi-Fi is available again, but access to most Vanderbilt systems and applications remains restricted.Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. A ransomware group calling itself BYOD claimed responsibility online and said it obtained student and employee records, including Social Security numbers. Vanderbilt’s public update did not identify who was behind the incident or confirm whether records were taken. (WZTV)A ransomware group calling itself BYOD claimed responsibility online and said it obtained student and employee records, including Social Security numbers. Vanderbilt’s public update did not identify who was behind the incident or confirm whether records were taken.Vanderbilt sophomore Parker Landis said he first heard about the problem when he walked into his 10:10 a.m. class to give a presentation. His professor told the class something was wrong, and a classmate pulled up an article from The Vanderbilt Hustler. Landis said the class got through the presentation using a teaching aide’s phone hotspot, though the connection was spotty.Landis said the university’s alert reached him around lunchtime. He was initially unsure what to watch for and said a follow-up message gave more guidance. Later, he couldn’t open a Word document he needed for an assignment. His Intro to Law professor extended a deadline, his legal history professor pushed back a discussion assignment, and another class relied on printed materials.
It made things just a little more difficult just because we’re so used to having all the technology,” Landis told FOX 17 News.
José Ruiz-Zepeda, a Vanderbilt senior and opinion editor who wrote the Hustler’s initial report, said he first learned about the incident through a group chat. He said faculty received notice around 9:30 a.m., nearly two hours before students were notified around 11:26 a.m. He also said students were told to stay off Brightspace, the platform they use for coursework. Ruiz-Zepeda said he received reports that audio warnings played and unfamiliar pop-ups appeared on university computers while professors were trying to teach. He said some professors shut off their screens. He said a separate video shared by the student newspaper circulated on Fizz, an anonymous student platform, and its source remained unverified.A photo reviewed by FOX 17 News shows a computer screen with a message bearing the BYOD name and claiming access to university data. It appears to be related to the ransomware group known as BYOD, claiming it gained access to Vanderbilt’s data and student records, including Social Security numbers. The group also claims to have locked university databases and taken control of part of its network. Fox 17 News has not independently verified those claims, and Vanderbilt has not confirmed whether any sensitive information was stolen. The group has also claimed responsibility for recent cyberattacks at Michigan State University and the University of New Mexico Health and Sciences Center. At Michigan State, a cybersecurity incident prompted university-wide password resets, although officials said their investigation had not found evidence that other data was stolen. The incident in New Mexico caused more significant disruptions, affecting hospital operations and forcing ambulances to be diverted. Landis said Vanderbilt hadn’t told him whether student information was affected. He also wondered how classes would continue if students couldn’t access the tools they use to turn in assignments.
I’m really hoping student information isn’t affected,” Landis said.
A student walks on campus at Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt University told students and employees Monday to shut down university devices and disconnect from campus Wi-Fi as its IT team worked to contain a cybersecurity incident. (WZTV)Scott Augenbaum, a retired FBI supervisory special agent who investigated cybercrime, told FOX 17 News that universities hold sensitive research, student records, and financial information that can make them targets. He said an online claim alone can’t establish who was behind an incident or whether anyone took files. Investigators need to determine what was accessed and whether any information was copied.Augenbaum said before Vanderbilt can safely restore access, it needs to make sure anyone who gained unauthorized access is out and figure out how they got in.“And besides kicking them out, you got to figure out how it happened, so they just don’t get back in,” Augenbaum said.He also warned that a message appearing to come from Vanderbilt could be used to trick someone into handing over a password. He advised people to verify unexpected requests independently and use two-factor authentication on personal and work accounts.Vanderbilt urged students and employees to watch for unexpected pop-ups, unfamiliar apps or messages, requests for passwords or sign-in approvals, and files that suddenly go missing or change names. It also flagged unusual changes to folders or permissions in cloud services such as OneDrive and Box. The university told anyone who notices suspicious activity to avoid clicking links, attachments, or unfamiliar prompts, leave troubleshooting to IT, shut down the device, and contact the IT service desk from a separate device or by phone.In a 7 p.m. update, Vanderbilt University shared this below:To the Vanderbilt community:Thank you for your patience as we continue managing the cybersecurity incident affecting university devices, systems, and cloud-based services. Campus Wi-Fi is now available, but access to most Vanderbilt systems and applications remains restricted. We know this has disrupted important work and caused frustration across the university. Vanderbilt Information Technology is working with government agencies and other partners to manage this situation.On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Vanderbilt University will operate on a normal schedule.Students: Classes will proceed on a normal schedule. Please contact your course instructors for any additional guidance, including flexibility on coursework deadlines. Student services will also operate normally, and Student Care Network offices are open and hosting appointments.Faculty: Please plan to teach classes as scheduled. If you have grant submissions due this week, contact Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Susan Marguiles, whose team can provide focused support to ensure timely submission.Staff: Please report to work as scheduled. We will share additional guidance as needed.We will provide the next update by 9 a.m. Tuesday, including the status of systems and applications.Vanderbilt Health, which operates separately from the university, said its own IT systems had so far been unaffected, and patient care was continuing at its hospitals and clinics. It told employees to stay off university IT systems until further notice.
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