● Covered by 3 sources · 4 reportsMedium impact3 negative1 neutral
New Mexico Hospital Network Diverts Patients, Closes Clinics Due to Cybersecurity Issue
Key points
- UNM Health System faced a cybersecurity issue.
- Ambulances were diverted, clinics closed, appointments canceled.
- Employees reported messages claiming data theft.
- FBI is assisting in the ongoing investigation.
- Cyberattack occurred on Monday.
- Outpatient surgeries were suspended.
- Cyberattack affected the entire Health Sciences Center.
- UNM Health System includes the state's only burn unit, children's hospital, and Level 1 trauma center.
- Employees received alerts to turn off and unplug desktops.
- New patient admissions were temporarily limited.
- UNM Hospital and Sandoval Regional Medical Center remain open.
- Clinics will resume scheduled appointments and procedures on Tuesday, October 27.
- Classes at four health sciences schools were canceled.
- Nonessential HSC employees were instructed to stay home.
- Byod ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Byod claimed to have compromised 36,000 systems.
- Byod claimed to have accessed sensitive personal and patient data.
- BYOD ransomware gang also attacked Michigan State University.
- Michigan State University incident forced password resets for all student and employee accounts.
- BYOD claimed to have stolen personal information of 1.3 million current and former Michigan State students.
- Michigan State University's IT team required new passwords to be at least 15 characters long.
- Michigan State University sent out a password reset email on October 1.
Cybersecurity Incident Disrupts Healthcare Services
The University of New Mexico Health System (UNM Health System) encountered a cybersecurity issue on Monday, leading to significant disruptions in its operations. The network, which includes the state's only Level 1 trauma center, was forced to divert ambulances to other hospitals and cancel appointments across its more than 30 clinics. Patients were advised not to visit the main hospital in Albuquerque.
Impact on Patient Care and State Services
The incident affected a system that handles approximately 900,000 outpatient visits and 100,000 emergency room visits annually. The closure of the Level 1 trauma center meant New Mexico temporarily lacked a facility capable of treating the most severe injuries. Other major healthcare providers, Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Lovelace Health System, coordinated with UNM Health System to accommodate additional patients.
Allegations of Data Theft and Ongoing Investigation
Multiple UNM Health System employees reported seeing messages on their computers claiming that student, employee, and patient data had been stolen. A spokesperson for the health system declined to comment further, citing an active law enforcement investigation. The FBI confirmed its assistance in the inquiry.
Resumption of Services and Broader Context
Later on Monday, UNM Health System began to resume operations in phases. This incident occurs amidst increasing concerns regarding the security of digital systems underpinning essential services like healthcare. Cybersecurity experts note that while hospital breaches have occurred for a decade, the method of displaying messages claiming data theft is unusual.
Updates
- BYOD ransomware gang also attacked Michigan State University.
- Michigan State University incident forced password resets for all student and employee accounts.
- BYOD claimed to have stolen personal information of 1.3 million current and former Michigan State students.
- Michigan State University's IT team required new passwords to be at least 15 characters long.
- Michigan State University sent out a password reset email on October 1.
- Cyberattack occurred on Monday.
- Outpatient surgeries were suspended.
- Cyberattack affected the entire Health Sciences Center.
- UNM Health System includes the state's only burn unit, children's hospital, and Level 1 trauma center.
- Employees received alerts to turn off and unplug desktops.
- New patient admissions were temporarily limited.
- UNM Hospital and Sandoval Regional Medical Center remain open.
- Clinics will resume scheduled appointments and procedures on Tuesday, October 27.
- Classes at four health sciences schools were canceled.
- Nonessential HSC employees were instructed to stay home.
- Byod ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Byod claimed to have compromised 36,000 systems.
- Byod claimed to have accessed sensitive personal and patient data.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Michigan State University officials confirmed that recent claims by the BYOD ransomware gang are connected to an October incident that necessitated password resets for all student and employee accounts. The BYOD gang claimed to have stolen personal information of 1.3 million current and former students, though the university states there is no evidence of successful compromise of its central Active Directory or other data theft.
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center experienced a cyberattack that led to system outages, limiting new patient admissions, diverting ambulances, and suspending some surgeries. A new ransomware group, Byod, claimed responsibility, stating they compromised 36,000 systems and accessed sensitive personal and patient data.
The University of New Mexico Health System diverted ambulances and canceled surgeries due to a cyberattack on Monday. The incident affected the entire Health Sciences Center, leading to operational disruptions and class cancellations.
The University of New Mexico Health System experienced a cybersecurity issue, forcing it to divert ambulances, cancel appointments, and close clinics. This incident left the state without its only Level 1 trauma center and highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in critical healthcare infrastructure.