Campus Alert Archive
NMHU

A 5 a.m. Ransomware Hit Knocks NMHU Offline for 11 Days

NMinfrastructure failureadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

A ransomware attack detected around 5 a.m. MDT on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 shut down most operations at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The attack hit the MyNMHU portal — the gateway to online classes, email, classroom technology, and payroll — and the university shut off campus WiFi as a security measure. NMHU canceled both in-person and online classes in rolling extensions, ultimately through April 14, for at least 11 days.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
New Mexico Highlands University
Public Masters · NM
~3,000 studentsNMHU Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction246 chars
NMHU is experiencing a network disruption affecting the MyNMHU portal, email, and online services. As a precaution, campus WiFi has been turned off. Classes are canceled today while we investigate. Updates will be posted as they become available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from reporting that the attack was detected around 5 a.m. and that WiFi was shut off as a security measure while the MyNMHU portal and email went down.
Las Vegas, New Mexico observes daylight saving time, so April timestamps are MDT (UTC-6).
This is an advisory rather than a Clery emergency notification: a ransomware service disruption is not a § 668.46(g) immediate physical threat.
isVerbatimConfirmed:false: the university's notification text was paraphrased from news coverage, not an official archive.
UPDATEWebsite
Approximate reconstruction260 chars
Update: The network disruption is ongoing. All classes, in person and online, remain canceled. There is no definitive timeline for restoration. Initial indications are that student and employee data has not been compromised, though the investigation continues.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed update reflecting the documented rolling class cancellations and the university's statement that there was 'no definitive timeline' for resolution.
Matches reporting that initial signs indicated the attack had not jeopardized student or employee data, pending further investigation.
isVerbatimConfirmed:false because the official update text was not retrievable; wording is drawn from quoted statements.
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstruction206 chars
Classes and operations are resuming following the network disruption that began April 3. Some systems may still be intermittent as restoration continues. Thank you for your patience over the past two weeks.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed follow-up matching reporting that NMHU canceled classes through April 14, after which operations resumed.
Labeled a follow-up rather than an all-clear because system restoration was phased and some services remained intermittent — not a clean lifting of restrictions.
isVerbatimConfirmed:false: the resumption message wording is reconstructed from news coverage.
Context

Background

New Mexico Highlands University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico, with roughly 3,000 students. On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, a ransomware attack detected around 5 a.m. MDT shut down most campus operations. Because the attack crippled the MyNMHU portal — the single gateway to online classes, email, classroom technology, and payroll — the university suspended classes and shut off campus WiFi as a containment measure. Cancellations were extended in stages, ultimately running through April 14 for at least 11 days, as the Albuquerque Journal documented. The case is a cyber-incident counterpoint to the archive's physical-hazard cases: the 'alert' channel itself (portal, email) was the casualty, forcing the university onto its public website and external news outlets to reach students. It illustrates the advisory lane for infrastructure failures and adds a New Mexico HSI to the collection.
Analysis

Key Findings

A ransomware attack disabled NMHU's primary notification and academic channels — the MyNMHU portal and email — forcing communication onto the public website and news media
The university canceled classes in rolling extensions for at least 11 days and shut off campus WiFi as a containment step
NMHU classified this as an operational advisory, not a Clery emergency notification, because a cyberattack is not an immediate physical threat
Las Vegas, New Mexico observes daylight saving time, placing the April timestamps in MDT (UTC-6)
Outcome
Classes were canceled in rolling extensions and campus WiFi was shut off. Initial signs indicated student and employee data had not been jeopardized, pending further investigation. Operations resumed after April 14, 2024.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Cyberattack shuts down most operations at NMHU - Las Vegas Optic
    lasvegasoptic.com
  2. News
    New Mexico Highlands University suspends classes until April 14 after ransomware attack - KRQE
    krqe.com
  3. News
    Ransomware attack cancels NMHU classes through April 14 - KOB
    kob.com
  4. News
    NMHU nears a week of canceled classes because of ransomware attack - Albuquerque Journal
    abqjournal.com
Tags
infrastructure-failureransomwarecyberattackadvisorynew-mexiconmhuhsinon-violent
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion