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Ransomware Victim Education

Ruskin College

Ransomware attack by Beast · Disclosed January 29, 2026 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

www.ruskin.ac.uk

Date Disclosed
Jan 29, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Beast
72 total victims
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Industry
Education

ThreatAI Analysis

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

About the Beast group

Beast is a Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) product which provides functionality such as SMB scanning, file encryption, service and process starting and stopping, and geographic identification to avoid encryption in CIS countries. Beast has listed 70 victims since December 2023.

Incident Analysis

Ruskin College was targeted by Beast ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 72 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on January 29, 2026, when Ruskin College appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Ruskin College is based in United Kingdom , operating in the Education sector. United Kingdom ranks #4 globally for ransomware attacks, with 892 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.

Beast 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 — 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 6, 2026 16:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Ruskin College attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Ruskin College was listed as a victim of the Beast ransomware group on January 29, 2026. The organisation is based in United Kingdom and operates in the Education sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Ruskin College?

Ruskin College was attacked by Beast ransomware. Beast is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 72 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Ruskin College ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Ruskin College was disclosed on January 29, 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 Ruskin College ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Ruskin College 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, Ruskin College likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Beast attacks?

To defend against Beast 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.