NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The fallout from this week’s massive cyberattack at Vanderbilt University has officially entered the courtroom, with a former student and employee filing the first class-action lawsuit against the institution.While campus officials warn that it could take multiple weeks to fully restore normal operations across all systems, the newly filed legal action accuses the university of severe security failures that compromised sensitive personal records.The cyberattack, publicly claimed by the notorious ransomware group known as “BYOD” on the dark web, has escalated tensions on campus. The group brags that it successfully locked databases and stole over one million Social Security numbers, along with full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and extensive student and employee records.In response, plaintiff Madison Brinnon—a former Vanderbilt student and employee—has filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Nashville. The complaint alleges that Vanderbilt was grossly negligent by leaving highly sensitive data unencrypted and failing to adhere to basic federal cybersecurity standards.Brinnon and the proposed class are seeking financial and compensatory damages, court-mandated improvements and security audits for the university’s data systems, and lifetime credit and identity theft monitoring funded by Vanderbilt for everyone impacted.As legal pressure mounts, Vanderbilt administration is maintaining its focus on containment and recovery. In its latest updates, the university stated it is actively working alongside federal law enforcement and external cybersecurity partners to secure its networks [cite].Officials are prioritizing crucial institutional operations—including payroll, payment services, admissions, course registration, and public safety. Meanwhile, students, faculty, and staff have been instructed to power back on their university-issued devices, remain vigilant, and immediately report any abnormal or suspicious activity to the VUIT help desk to help identify affected hardware.
Vanderbilt leadership warns that a secure, deliberate restoration of all campus systems and applications will likely take multiple weeks.In the federal court proceedings, attorneys representing the class have demanded a trial by jury. Out-of-state legal counsel has filed initial paperwork, with local rules governing formal co-counsel association and filings moving forward.Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Tony.sloan@newschannel5.com.
Lorenzo Washington, founder of Jefferson Street Sound Museum, dies at 83
North Nashville lost a passionate advocate and historian with the passing of Lorenzo Washington. I had the pleasure to get to know him while working on a story and left with a wealth of information and appreciation for how Jefferson Street shaped the sound of Music City. Aaron Cantrell shows us how Lorenzo will forever be part of that.– Carrie Sharp
window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
FB.init({
appId : ‘1627742844167003’,
xfbml : true,
version : ‘v2.9’
});
};
(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js”;
js.async = true;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.
