BYOD ransomware gang claims cyberattack on Michigan State University

The BYOD ransomware gang has added Michigan State University to its extortion leak site, claiming to have stolen the personal data of 1.3 million current and former students, The Record reported. University officials confirmed that the group's claims relate to a security incident discovered last month that forced all employees and students to reset their account passwords. [1]

A spokesperson for Michigan State University told Recorded Future News that the institution became aware of suspicious activity on its network prior to the extortion claim. The university has not publicly detailed the specific technical vector used by the hackers or confirmed the full scope of the compromised data. [1]

Michigan State University is a public land-grant research university situated in East Lansing, Michigan, and was established in 1855. The incident at the university follows a series of operational disruptions targeted at higher education and medical institutions by the same ransomware outfit. [1][6]

The BYOD ransomware gang previously drew public attention in October 2026 after launching a cyberattack against the University of New Mexico, according to The Record. That attack shut down operations at the university's hospital system. [1]