Cyberattack Disrupts New Mexico Hospital Care, Closes Clinics

WHO:

KOB 4 - The University of New Mexico (UNM) Health System and UNM Health Sciences Center were affected by the cybersecurity threat.

KOB 4 - UNM said non-essential personnel and students enrolled in the School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing, and College of Population Health should leave campus. The instruction did not apply to clinical employees or people identified as essential.

KOB 4 - UNM Health officials said they were “actively working to resolve this issue.”

ABC News US - The University of New Mexico Health System was working to fix a cybersecurity issue that disrupted its operations.

WHAT:

KOAT - Remaining classes were canceled.

KOB 4 - UNM diverted ambulance traffic to other hospitals, cancelled appointments at all clinics, and sent some students home.

KOB 4 - The cancellations included Sandoval Regional Medical Center.

KOB 4 - UNM Health advised patients not to go to its facilities and said emergencies should be handled by 911; non-emergency care should be delayed until further notice.

KOB 4 - Alleged hackers reportedly broadcast a message to hospital workers’ computers, based on a partial recording obtained by KOB; officials had not confirmed the message’s claims.

KOB 4 - The UNM Health Sciences Center opened an emergency operations center to prevent further attacks and assess the extent of the impact.

WHERE:

KOB 4 - The threat affected the entire UNM Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. UNM said its main campus was aware of the issue, but the extent of the impact there was unclear.

WHEN:

KOAT - UNM Health told patients not to arrive at its facilities on October 26; the date is omitted because it is not in the future.

KOB 4 - Scanner audio to Albuquerque Fire Rescue first responders indicated ambulance diversion would last at least “the next two hours,” as of 1 p.m.

HOW:

KOB 4 - Ambulances were redirected to other hospitals, while patients were instructed to use 911 for emergencies and postpone non-emergency care.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 04:09 UTC)

A cybersecurity threat disrupted operations across the University of New Mexico Health System and Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, prompting UNM to divert ambulances to other hospitals and cancel appointments at its clinics, including Sandoval Regional Medical Center. UNM told patients not to go to its facilities, to call 911 for emergencies and to delay non-emergency care, while remaining classes were canceled and non-essential personnel and some students were sent home. The Health Sciences Center opened an emergency operations center to assess the impact and prevent further attacks, and officials said they were working to resolve the issue.

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(UPDATED October 26, 2026 22:08 UTC)

A cybersecurity threat disrupted operations across the University of New Mexico Health System and Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, prompting officials to divert ambulances to other hospitals and cancel clinic appointments, including at Sandoval Regional Medical Center. UNM told patients to call 911 for emergencies and delay non-emergency care, while asking non-essential staff and some students to leave campus; clinical and essential personnel were exempt. The university opened an emergency operations center to assess the impact and prevent further attacks, and said it was working to resolve the issue.