Bitmarck temporarily shuts down operations after a cyberattack

Bitmarck, one of Germany’s Information Technology (IT) providers, has shut down its internal and customer systems following a cyberattack incident. Based on reports, the German company has also temporarily taken down some of the data centres during the event. Fortunately, Bitmarck stated that the incident had not endangered any patient data.

The affected company is one of the largest service providers that gives German health insurers software development, consulting, the operation of networks and data centres, and telematics.

The company claimed that the attackers had accessed no customer, patient, or insured individuals’ information during the security breach. However, these claims are from last month’s initial investigation, which means that further study could prove otherwise.

Bitmarck insisted that the alert does not indicate that the actors have taken the data but only a customer notification about the breach. The signal also warns their users that sensitive information is the subject of protection to comply with Germany’s healthcare data regulations.

Furthermore, the German IT provider explained that their priority is protecting their customer, insured individuals, and patient data. Hence, they are notifying the public that they are addressing the incident.

 

Bitmarck had yet to determine the exact time that they could bring back their systems.

 

The German service provider, Bitmarck, revealed that they do not yet have a concrete timeframe for when they could have their systems back online. However, depending on the customer’s situation, the company could still return the operations.

The services already operating are the digital processing of electronic certificates and access to the electronic patient file. Other essential services, such as the monthly transmission of statistical information, health insurance companies, and KIM digital communication services, will be available after the initial investigation.

The German company also plans to develop a short-term IT infrastructure to give health insurers central processes platforms, such as payment centres.

Lastly, Bismarck, one of the company’s warning tools which detected a breach of one of its internal systems, immediately notified government regulators and law enforcement. The warning device has also enabled the company to quickly contact third-party security services to provide aid in investigating the attack.