Cyberattack Disrupts Operations at University of New Mexico Hospitals
The University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center has been hit by a cyberattack that has temporarily disrupted operations at its hospitals and potentially resulted in a major data breach. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, UNM is a public research university with a Health Sciences Center that includes the state's largest teaching hospital and the only Level 1 trauma center.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. MDT on Monday, the Health Sciences Center announced that it was facing a cybersecurity issue. As a precaution, ambulance traffic was redirected to other facilities, and all clinic appointments for the day were canceled. Later updates indicated that IT security teams were actively working to contain the situation and had enlisted external partners to assist with the investigation. Both state and federal law enforcement agencies were notified of the incident.
By the end of the day, the Health Sciences Center reported that all hospitals were back in operation, and clinics were set to resume appointments and procedures the following day. Classes scheduled for Tuesday at the university's medical, nursing, pharmacy, and other schools were canceled. The Health Sciences Center acknowledged the impact of the incident on patients, employees, and students, expressing gratitude for their patience during the response efforts. They also noted that due to the ongoing investigation, details were limited.
Details of the Cyberattack Unfold
Reports from The Daily Lobo, the university's student-run newspaper, indicated that during the attack, hackers played a synthetic voice message on hospital workers' computers. The message claimed that they had stolen sensitive data, including personal identifiable information and Social Security numbers, and urged university administrators to contact them via an encrypted messaging service, presumably to negotiate a ransom.
Clearance Granted
The breach was detected around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, prompting healthcare staff to shut down and unplug computer systems and disable Wi-Fi on mobile devices shortly thereafter. The cyber extortion group BYOD claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting that they had compromised 36,000 machines across both the main campus and hospital environments. They also alleged that they had accessed critical databases containing extensive personal and research information.
As the investigation continues, the university is working to assess the full extent of the breach and mitigate any potential risks to affected individuals.
