Oncology firm Novocure says cyberattack exposed US patient records

Oncology company Novocure said on Tuesday a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorised access to certain information systems in mid-August exposed internal records of more than 1,400 US patients.

The breach adds to a growing number of cyberattacks on the health-care sector, including medical device makers Abbott, Stryker, Medtronic and Boston Scientific, drugmaker Novo Nordisk and drug-delivery equipment supplier West Pharmaceutical Services.

Here are some more details:

• Novocure said it activated its cybersecurity response plan, implemented containment measures and initiated an internal investigation of the event.
• The exposed data included internal company patient ID numbers and general contact information for health-care providers the company works with and for Novocure employees, such as their job titles and phone numbers.
• Data for fewer than 50 other patients in the western US that included additional identifying information was also exposed.
• The company said access to its medical treatment devices was not obtained and all its systems are fully functional.
• Novocure does not expect this cybersecurity incident to have a material impact on its financials.

Reuters