Ransomware Attack Shuts Down Nearly 500 Osaka Metropolitan University Servers
Summary
A ransomware attack on Osaka Metropolitan University’s virtualization infrastructure took nearly 500 servers offline and encrypted many backups. Systems across five campuses are affected; personal data may be involved, and classes are suspended through October 9.
Key points
- The university reported a ransomware attack on October 2, 2026.
- The attack breached its virtualization infrastructure and forced nearly 500 servers offline.
- Many backups were also encrypted, complicating recovery.
- Systems across all five campuses are affected.
- Personal data of at least 130,000 students and alumni may be involved; the university is investigating a possible leak of addresses, emails, and phone numbers.
- Classes are suspended until October 9, 2026, and the full recovery timeline is unknown.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Osaka Public University
- Victim Domain
- omu.ac.jp
- Incident Type
- Ransomware attack involving a breach of the university’s virtualization infrastructure
- Incident Date
- 2026-10-02
- Disclosure Date
- 2026-10-02
- Data Types Exposed
- Addresses
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Affected Records
- Personal data may be stored on impacted systems for at least 130,000 students and alumni; exposure is under investigation.
- Operational Impact
- Nearly 500 servers were forced offline, and many backups were encrypted. Systems across all five campuses were affected. Classes were suspended until October 9, 2026; the full recovery timeline was unknown.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- No ransom demand or extortion activity reported.
- Claim Status
- confirmed