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Ransomware victim Education

Arizona State University (ASU)

Listed by Direwolf on · organisation based in United States

asu.edu

Disclosed
Aug 17, 2026
Leak-site listing date
Threat group
Direwolf
148 victims listed
Country
United States
#1 most targeted
Sector
Education

ThreatAI analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Direwolf. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

Direwolf listed Arizona State University (ASU) on its dark web leak site on 17 August 2026, an institution based in the United States that operates in the Education sector.

About the Direwolf group

Dire Wolf is a sophisticated human-operated ransomware group first documented in May 2025, written in Golang using Curve25519/ChaCha20 encryption, targeting manufacturing and technology sectors across 13+ countries with ransoms up to $500,000, operated by a tight core team rather than a broad affiliate program. Direwolf has listed 136 victims since April 2025.

Vulnerabilities Direwolf is recorded exploiting

5 of these 5 are in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 5 of them recorded by CISA as used in ransomware campaigns. CVEs attributed to Direwolf across its reported activity. There is no indication that any of these was involved in the Arizona State University (ASU) incident — the source data does not record an entry point.

Incident analysis

Arizona State University (ASU) was listed by Direwolf ransomware, a group with 148 victims recorded in this database. The listing appeared on the group's leak site on August 17, 2026.

Arizona State University (ASU) is based in United States and operates in the Education sector. United States ranks #1 worldwide for ransomware disclosures, with 10,151 victims in this database.

Sector context. Educational institutions often have under-resourced IT security teams and hold large amounts of student and faculty personal data, making them attractive targets for ransomware groups.

Direwolf typically follows a double extortion model: data is exfiltrated from the victim's systems before files are encrypted, so the victim faces two demands at once — pay to restore access, and pay to keep stolen data unpublished. The leak site, where this listing appeared, is the lever for the second demand.

Source. Public leak-site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. The disclosure date is when the listing was published, which can differ from the date of compromise. This site does not publish or link to stolen data. Last updated .

Frequently asked questions

Was Arizona State University (ASU) attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Arizona State University (ASU) was listed as a victim of the Direwolf ransomware group on August 17, 2026. The organisation is based in United States and operates in the Education sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Arizona State University (ASU)?

Arizona State University (ASU) was attacked by Direwolf ransomware. Direwolf is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 148 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Arizona State University (ASU) ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Arizona State University (ASU) was disclosed on August 17, 2026. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the Arizona State University (ASU) ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Arizona State University (ASU) has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Education organisation, Arizona State University (ASU) likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Direwolf attacks?

To defend against Direwolf and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.