University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Hit by Cyberattack, Classes Cancelled for a Second Day

The University of New Mexico has cancelled classes across its medicine, nursing and pharmacy faculties for a second day as it recovers from what it calls a "cybersecurity event". The incident hit the Health Sciences Center on Monday 26 October 2026. The university shut down systems, cancelled appointments and clinics at UNM Health hospitals, and diverted ambulances to facilities in nearby Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Hospital appointments and clinics were due to return to normal on the second day, though nonessential staff were asked to stay home and recovery will continue in phases.

The university said its IT security teams moved quickly to contain the event and protect the network. State and federal law enforcement were notified, external partners were brought in to help investigate, and an Emergency Operations Center was activated to coordinate the response. The university has not said what kind of attack it was.

A newly formed group calling itself BYOD claimed responsibility on Monday afternoon, fuelling speculation about ransomware. The group says it compromised 36,000 machines, both Active Directory forests, two Oracle databases, and personal data on every student and employee, along with internal emails. These claims are unverified, and a group taking credit does not prove it carried out the attack or deployed ransomware. The Register notes that the group's earlier claim about a Trump Mobile customer database appears to have held up.