Mount Royal University in Calgary says hackers broke into its network, stole files from a shared storage drive used by students and staff, and deleted data from university systems. The university says the June 17 attack disrupted online services, internet access, and internal systems; data was confirmed stolen from certain folders on its H drive, while a separate J drive holding departmental data was wiped, with no current evidence it was copied first. The CMD Organization extortion group claimed the attack, published sample files including passport scans, and demanded 30 bitcoin.
Why it matters: Students, employees, and former staff may face identity and privacy risks, while the university may lose some data permanently. Affected people should watch for direct breach notices and consider credit and identity monitoring; defenders in education should review file-share access, backup resilience, and extortion response plans.
Ionut Arghire
2026.07.09
98% relevant
This is a direct update to the same Mount Royal University incident, adding that MRU has now confirmed a ransomware attack, confirmed exfiltration from affected H drive folders, said the second erased storage system was deleted but not exfiltrated, and noted CMD Organization's claimed 10TB theft and $1.9 million ransom demand.
Bill Toulas
2026.07.08
100% relevant
This article appears to be the first tracked item establishing the Mount Royal University breach as a distinct incident with confirmed theft, destructive data wiping, and a public extortion claim by CMD Organization.
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