FE
Ransomware Victim Education

Federal University of Sergipe

Ransomware attack by Vect ยท Disclosed January 8, 2026 ยท ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil

en.ufs.br

Date Disclosed
Jan 8, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Vect
25 total victims
Industry
Education

ThreatAI Analysis

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

About the Vect group

VECT is a RaaS group that launched its affiliate program in December 2025 with a five-tier revenue-sharing model and a formal partnership with BreachForums; its VECT 2.0 payload contains a critical encryption flaw that irreversibly destroys files larger than 128 KB rather than encrypting them. Vect has listed 25 victims since October 2025.

Incident Analysis

Federal University of Sergipe was targeted by Vect ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 25 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on January 8, 2026, when Federal University of Sergipe appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Federal University of Sergipe is based in Brazil , operating in the Education sector. Brazil ranks #7 globally for ransomware attacks, with 451 victims in our 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.

Vect typically employs a double extortion model: first exfiltrating sensitive data from the victim's systems, then deploying ransomware to encrypt files. Victims face two simultaneous threats โ€” paying to restore access and paying to prevent publication of stolen data. The group's leak site publishes victim names and exfiltrated data as leverage.

Data source: This incident record is sourced from public ransomware group leak site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. Disclosure date reflects when the victim was published on the leak site, which may differ from the initial date of compromise. This platform does not publish or link to stolen data. Last data update: Sep 9, 2026 04:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Federal University of Sergipe attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Federal University of Sergipe was listed as a victim of the Vect ransomware group on January 8, 2026. The organisation is based in Brazil and operates in the Education sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Federal University of Sergipe?

Federal University of Sergipe was attacked by Vect ransomware. Vect is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 25 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Federal University of Sergipe ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Federal University of Sergipe was disclosed on January 8, 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 Federal University of Sergipe ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Federal University of Sergipe 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, Federal University of Sergipe likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Vect attacks?

To defend against Vect 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.