Artivion heart surgery device maker suffers a ransomware attack

One of the most prominent heart surgery device manufacturing companies, Artivion, has confirmed a ransomware attack that it suffered last month.

The advisory revealed that the campaign has resulted in operational disruption, forcing the company to shut down some parts of the systems to isolate the attack. The ransomware incident could pose a significant risk to relevant parties as this Atlanta-based corporation employs over 1,250 people worldwide.

It also has sales agents in over 100 countries and production plants in Atlanta, Georgia, Austin, Texas, and Germany.

 

Artivion addressed the incident by shutting down parts of its systems.

 

Artivion responded to the ransomware attack by isolating certain systems offline to prevent the attack from reaching further parts of its network.

Moreover, the company investigated and contacted third-party consultants, such as legal, security, and forensics professionals. An 8-K filing with the SEC explained that the company employed these services to help them investigate, contain, and remediate the event.

While Artivion did not specifically identify ransomware in its SEC filing, it did report that the attackers encrypted some of its systems and took data from affected servers. The incident concerned the acquisition and encryption of files. The company also assured the public that it strives to restore its systems immediately and assess any notification obligations.

Furthermore, the company announced that they have already resolved the delays to its corporate operations, order processing, and shipping and that insurance coverage will pay incident response costs. Still, this entity might face additional costs not covered by insurance.

As of now, no known ransomware organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, if the company does not comply with the ransom demands, these attackers may reveal themselves soon.

Several healthcare organisations in the United States have been subject to various ransomware attacks in recent weeks. One of the latest incidents against this industry is the BianLian ransomware attack on BCHP.

Ransomware operators have been targeting the healthcare industry. The urgency of a simple delay could cost lives, forcing compromised organisations to pay a ransom immediately. Therefore, this sector should fortify its cybersecurity defences since these cybercriminals have recently focused on them.