Mount Royal University Hit by Ransomware Attack, Exposing Student and Staff Data Mount Royal University (MRU) in Calgary confirmed that a ransomware attack detected in June 2026 compromised personal and academic data stored on its H-Drive, a file storage system used by students and employees. The university first notified the community on June 18, 2026, after identifying the breach, which disrupted multiple systems, including phones and the university website. An investigation revealed that an unauthorized actor accessed and exfiltrated data from specific folders on the H-Drive before deleting the files to hinder recovery. While the H-Drive was intended for academic work such as assignments, lesson plans, and research materials MRU acknowledged that some users may have stored personal information in their folders. The university is notifying all affected individuals but has not disclosed the exact number of those impacted. Additionally, the J-Drive, which stores departmental data, was deleted during the attack. MRU stated there is no evidence that J-Drive data was accessed or copied before deletion, though full recovery remains uncertain. The attack, attributed to a ransomware threat actor, forced MRU to take systems offline as a precaution. The university is restoring services gradually while continuing its forensic analysis. MRU has not disclosed whether a ransom was demanded or paid. In response, MRU is offering two years of credit monitoring to current employees and those employed within the past five years but not to students, even if their personal data was exposed. The incident has been reported to the Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner and law enforcement. This attack follows recent cyber incidents targeting Calgary institutions, including a 2024 ransomware attempt on the Calgary Public Library and a breach of the Calgary Board of Education’s PowerSchool system, which exposed student records. MRU is providing updates on a dedicated incident webpage as the investigation progresses.

The University of Calgary suffered a ransomware attack on its computer systems after which it had to pay a demanded $20,000 ransom. The university released the statement saying "As part of efforts to maintain all options to address these systems issues, the university has paid a ransom totalling about $20,000 Cdn that was demanded as part of this ransomware attack.”