Japanese pharma giant Eisai says ransomware attack disrupted logistics operations

Japanese pharmaceutical giant Eisai said it suffered a major ransomware attack that involved threat actors encrypting its servers and disrupting logistics operations.

Eisai said in a data security incident notification posted on its website that on June 3, it identified a ransomware attack that encrypted certain Eisai Group’s servers. 

 

The company immediately implemented its incident response plan and launched an investigation with assistance from cyber security specialists to understand the scope of the incident. A company-wide task force was also convened to rapidly work on response procedures.

“Certain systems both in and outside of Japan, including logistics systems, have been taken offline as a result of the incident and our ongoing response process. Our corporate websites and email systems are operational at this time,” Eisai said.

While Eisai hasn’t commented on how the threat actors infiltrated its network, it is currently in the process of determining whether any data has been siphoned from the servers and if so, the nature of the compromised data.

“Currently, Eisai Group is working closely with external experts and law enforcement in an effort to protect its systems and to make a successful recovery. We will continue to work to minimize any inconvenience to our partners and stakeholders,” the company added.

Earlier this year, Indian pharmaceutical giant Sun Pharma also suffered a significant cyber attack that compromised sensitive company data and personal information.

In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange on March 2, Sun Pharma said it identified an “information security incident”, following which it isolated the impacted systems from the core network to contain the incident.

The notorious Black Cat/AlphV ransomware group claimed responsibility for targeting Sun Pharma and listed the company on its data leak site.

According to a report published by the U.S. Federal Department of Health and Human Services, the BlackCat ransomware gang ranks among the most sophisticated ransomware operators targeting the U.S. health sector. First detected in November 2021, the BlackCat ransomware gang, AKA ALPHV, AlphaVM, Noberus, Coreid, FIN7, and Carbon Spider, compromised at least 60 victims in four months.