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Cyber Threat
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Ransomware victim Education

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Listed by Interlock on · organisation based in United States

ttuhsc.edu

Disclosed
Oct 27, 2024
Leak-site listing date
Threat group
Interlock
145 victims listed
Country
United States
#1 most targeted
Sector
Education

ThreatAI analysis

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

About the Interlock group

Interlock is a ransomware group first observed in September 2024 that targets critical infrastructure sectors including healthcare, government, education, and technology across North America and Europe using double-extortion, with 57+ claimed victims including a major US dialysis provider exposing over two million patient records. Interlock has listed 132 victims since December 2023.

Vulnerabilities Interlock is recorded exploiting

1 of these 1 are in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 1 of them recorded by CISA as used in ransomware campaigns. CVEs attributed to Interlock across its reported activity. There is no indication that any of these was involved in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center incident — the source data does not record an entry point.

Incident analysis

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was listed by Interlock ransomware, a group with 145 victims recorded in this database. The listing appeared on the group's leak site on October 27, 2024.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is based in United States and operates in the Education sector. United States ranks #1 worldwide for ransomware disclosures, with 10,166 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.

Interlock 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files are encrypted, so the victim faces two demands at once — pay to restore access, and pay to keep stolen data unpublished.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 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was listed as a victim of the Interlock ransomware group on October 27, 2024. 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 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center?

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was attacked by Interlock ransomware. Interlock is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 145 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was disclosed on October 27, 2024. 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 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 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, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Interlock attacks?

To defend against Interlock 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.