Cyberattack on CVS Group impacts veterinaries in the UK

The recent cyberattack on the UK’s prominent veterinary services provider, CVS Group, has caused significant disruption to numerous animal welfare providers nationwide.

CVS Group services approximately 500 veterinary entities across the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately, it faces a recent attack in which threat actors gained unauthorised access to some of its IT systems.

To mitigate the threat, this third-party service provider shut down its IT systems, impacting its ability to deliver vital veterinary services.

The company has an extensive network that includes nine specialist referral hospitals, 39 dedicated out-of-hours sites, three laboratories, and seven pet crematoria, and employs over 9,100 people, including veterinary surgeons and specialised nurses.

 

The CVS Group has confirmed the cyberattack that impacted UK-based veterinaries.

 

The CVS Group issued a statement acknowledging the breach and its subsequent actions to contain its effects. The firm immediately employed a third-party specialist to help them investigate the attack and restore IT services safely across its clinics.

The company wants every relevant party to expect several weeks of continued disruption since they will conduct their restoration process and migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud to increase security and operational efficiency.

Furthermore, the company clarified that the cybersecurity issue exclusively impacted its UK clientele, as operations outside the country are not hosted on the CVS infrastructure. Despite the disruption, the company reassured stakeholders that its responses had prevented further external access to its systems.

Nonetheless, the investigation has not observed a data breach that compromised sensitive information belonging to CVS personnel or customers. Still, questions about data security remain a concern, as CVS Group has not provided further details on the topic.

In addition, no ransomware groups have claimed responsibility for the attack on CVS Group, leaving the motive behind the cyberattack a mystery. The incident is another example of how cybercriminal activities could significantly impact critical infrastructures that would indirectly affect lives.

The cyberattack on CVS Group should urge other organisations to improve their cybersecurity practices and proactive response strategies to protect their systems and customers.