PH
Ransomware Victim Education

Phoenix Art Museum

Ransomware attack by Rhysida Β· Disclosed February 12, 2026 Β· πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ United States

phxart.org

Date Disclosed
Feb 12, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Rhysida
194 total victims
Industry
Education

Incident Analysis

Phoenix Art Museum was targeted by Rhysida ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 194 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on February 12, 2026, when Phoenix Art Museum appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Phoenix Art Museum is based in United States , operating in the Education sector. United States ranks #1 globally for ransomware attacks, with 8,443 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.

Rhysida 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 β€” 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: Jun 6, 2026 06:01 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Phoenix Art Museum attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Phoenix Art Museum was listed as a victim of the Rhysida ransomware group on February 12, 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 Phoenix Art Museum?

Phoenix Art Museum was attacked by Rhysida ransomware. Rhysida is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 194 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Phoenix Art Museum ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Phoenix Art Museum was disclosed on February 12, 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 Phoenix Art Museum ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Phoenix Art Museum 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, Phoenix Art Museum likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Rhysida attacks?

To defend against Rhysida 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.