Artivion, the world’s leading manufacturer of cardiovascular surgery devices, revealed on November 21 that it had fallen victim to a ransomware attack, forcing the company to temporarily shut down certain systems and disrupt its normal operations.
The Atlanta-based company employs more than 1,250 people globally, with a presence in over 100 countries through its network of sales representatives. The company also provides manufacturing services from facilities located in Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Hechingen, Germany.
“Artivion swiftly implemented measures to contain the incident, including taking affected programs offline, initiating an investigation, and engaging external advisors comprising legal, cybersecurity, and forensic experts to evaluate, mitigate, and remediate the situation.” Securities and Trade Fee (SEC).
While Artivion did not specifically mention ransomware in its SEC filing, it did disclose that the attackers encrypted certain software applications and exfiltrated data from compromised systems.
“The incident revolved around the procurement and encryption of digital records.” The firm is working diligently to swiftly and securely restore its programs while also evaluating any necessary notifications.
The corporation reported that disruptions to its operations, order processing, and transportation have largely been resolved, noting that insurance coverage will cover expenses related to the incident response efforts. Despite this, Artivion believes it may incur additional costs not covered by insurance.
While no ransomware operation has publicly taken credit for the attack, it is possible that they may do so if their demands are not met in the coming days or weeks.
Recently, various entities across the United States have taken initiative. The healthcare sector has been severely impacted by ransomware attacks, with the notorious BianLian cybercrime gang behind recent incidents, demanding payment in exchange for not releasing sensitive patient data. A ransomware attack also targeted some victims in September.
Earlier this month, Anna Jaques Hospital revealed that the ransomware attack it experienced last Christmas was.
