BYOD ransomware gang lists Michigan State University, claiming data on 1.3 million students; MSU says an early-October credential incident forced campus-wide password resets but it has no evidence data was stolen

official in part (MSU spokesperson statement to Recorded Future News, Nov 2; Oct 1 forced password reset); the BYOD gang's 1.3 million-record theft claim is unverified2026-11-02

BYOD ransomware gang lists Michigan State University, claiming data on 1.3 million students; MSU says an early-October credential incident forced campus-wide password resets but it has no evidence data was stolen

Confirmed by MSU: suspicious activity in early October; a campus-wide forced password reset (minimum 15 characters) emailed Oct 1; investigation points to a potential credential compromise; no evidence the central Active Directory was compromised or that other data was accessed, changed or stolen.
Claimed, not verified: BYOD's leak-site post says it took personal data on 1.3 million current and former students. MSU did not respond to follow-up questions about the claim.
Context: BYOD appeared in September; in the University of New Mexico attack ambulances were diverted before the group apologized and reportedly handed over decryption keys.

MSU students and alumni should expect targeted phishing that cites the incident; don't reuse the old NetID password anywhere.

Sources: Recorded Future News: Michigan State cyber incident claimed by ransomware gang (Nov 2)