Boston Scientific says a cyberattack is causing a global operational outage.
Why it matters: The disruption could affect medical-device shipments and healthcare supply chains worldwide. Boston Scientific has not said whether devices or customer data were affected, inviting more scrutiny from hospitals, regulators and investors.
- Boston Scientific disclosed Aug. 26 that it detected a cybersecurity incident affecting certain IT systems on Aug. 25.
- The company says the incident has disrupted access to operating systems and business applications, including order processing and shipping.
- Boston Scientific said it activated incident-response protocols and brought in third-party cybersecurity experts.
- Irish reporting said more than 7,000 staff across Boston Scientific's Irish plants were informed of a global outage, and some Cork workers were sent home.
Boston Scientific said on Aug. 26 that it identified a cybersecurity incident a day earlier that caused a network outage and disrupted company operations. In its public update and SEC filing, the company said the incident affected certain information-technology systems and impaired its ability to process and ship customer orders.
The company said it activated incident-response protocols and engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to assess and contain the threat. It also said it is working to restore affected functions and systems access, but the timeline for full restoration is not yet known.
Boston Scientific has not said whether any medical devices, implants or customer-patient data were affected. That omission is likely to draw attention because the company treats more than 48 million patients each year and has about 59,000 employees worldwide. Boston Scientific’s update and the SEC filing are the company’s first public acknowledgments of the incident.
Irish media reported that employees in Cork and across Ireland were told of a global outage affecting network communications at Ireland sites and other locations worldwide. The Irish Examiner reported that more than 7,000 staff across Boston Scientific’s Irish plants were informed on Aug. 25, and that some Cork staff were sent home while the outage was being addressed. MassDevice reported the company later confirmed in an SEC filing that the incident caused a global disruption to operations.
By the numbers
- 48 million+ - Patients Boston Scientific says it treats each year.
- 59,000 - Boston Scientific's global employee count.
- 7,000+ - Staff across the company's Irish plants who were told of the outage, according to reporting.
Yes, but: Boston Scientific has not disclosed whether the incident affected devices, implants or customer/patient data, so the full scope remains unclear.
What's next: Boston Scientific says it is working to restore affected systems, but it has not given a timeline for full restoration.