Cyberattack disrupts global operations at medical device maker Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific, a Massachusetts-based maker of implanted medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, disclosed in a Wednesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that a cyberattack is causing an ongoing global disruption to its operations.

The company said disruptions and limitations to access of its IT systems and critical business applications began on Tuesday. Boston Scientific confirmed the attack has affected its ability to ship and process orders, but has not clarified whether the disruption also extends to customers relying on its implanted medical devices.

When contacted by TechCrunch, company spokesperson Chanel Hastings shared only the public statement and declined to say whether patients are affected, what steps they should take, or details about the nature of the incident. Boston Scientific states on its website that it treats around 48 million patients annually.

According to the company's public statement, its investigation is ongoing and there is no confirmed timeline yet for restoring systems. The cause of the cyberattack remains unclear. Local media in Ireland reported that thousands of staff at Boston Scientific's Cork campus were sent home on Tuesday after network communications across the company were cut.

Part of a wider pattern

Boston Scientific is the latest health technology company to be hacked this year, following similar incidents at medical device makers Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic. Earlier this year, Iranian-backed hackers were blamed for an attack on Stryker that allowed them to remotely wipe tens of thousands of employee devices across its Windows network by abusing a centralized device management portal provided by Microsoft.

Public internet records show Boston Scientific relies heavily on Microsoft and Amazon Web Services for its corporate infrastructure.