Grappling with COVID-Themed Cyber Attacks: Pharmaceutical Sector
The pharmaceutical industry has been in the crosshairs of cyber attacks, more frequently than ever, in the last few years. The industry appeals to cybercrooks, who are motivated by financial gains, as they generate and manage some of the most sensitive data.
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India and APAC
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Indian pharmaceutical giant Lupin confirmed a security incident that impacted its IT systems in November 2020 after a similar ransomware attack targeted Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
Europe
Recently, several European pharmaceuticals such as Swiss giant Roche, were attacked by a hacking group dubbed Blackfly. European manufacturers BASF and Henkel were also victims of the same ransomware group.
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Europe
Moreover, drug regulators like EMA (European Medicines Agency) have also not been spared from cyber attacks.
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America
Reports have attributed the attacks to Russia-based threat group Strontium and North Korean threat actors Zinc and Cerium
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America
In one of the recent examples of phishing attacks, the operators behind Cerium sent spear-phishing emails masquerading as World Health Organization (WHO) officials.
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The Way out
1. Businesses should identify their most important digital assets as well as critical assets that facilitate smooth business operations and product development.
2. They should also allocate budget for a well-rounded security system which covers intrusion detection systems and threat intelligence software.
This in turn keeps them updated regarding the status of their assets. With the help of a SaaS-based vulnerability alerting platform such as CloudSEK’s XVigil, your organization is equipped to protect their data, brand, and internet exposed infrastructure, against imminent cyber threats and breaches.