Boston Scientific confirms cyberattack as Cork staff told to work from home

The medical technology giant said information systems used to process and ship customer orders could remain affected as recovery efforts continue

An estimated 1,200 people work at Boston Scientific’s Model Farm Rd plant in Cork, which was established in 1997. Picture: Larry Cummins

US multinational Boston Scientific, which employs more than 7,000 people in Ireland, has confirmed it has suffered a cyberattack that has disrupted its global operations.

The medical device maker said it detected the attack on Tuesday and activated incident-response procedures, working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate and contain the threat.

The attack is expected to continue to affect parts of the company’s business, including information systems used to process and ship customer orders.

Shares in the company fell 3.5% before markets opened.

The incident is the latest in a series of cyberattacks against healthcare multinationals.

In March this year, global medical technology company Stryker, which employs up to 5,000 people in Ireland and is headquartered in Cork, was crippled by a cyberattack suspected of being carried out by an Iranian-backed group.

Cork staff told to work from home

Staff at Boston Scientific’s Cork plant were told early on Wednesday that those who can work from home should do so.

In an email to all staff, Catherine Stoessel, the company’s senior vice-president and chief information officer, said “on-site shift requirements” would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The company employs more than 7,000 staff across its three Irish plants in Cork, Clonmel and Galway.

An estimated 1,200 people work at Boston Scientific’s Model Farm Road plant in Cork, which was established in 1997.

In her email, received by Irish staff at 4am, Ms Stoessel said: “Recovery operations will take place in phases, with sites and areas prioritised by business need.”

She added that “employees who can work from home should do so while investigation and recovery efforts continue.

“On-site shift requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis and employees will be informed accordingly.”

Staff were warned to expect delays as the company’s IT support team continued its “recovery efforts”.

Staff sent home amid ongoing outage

Staff on Tuesday’s day shift at the Model Farm Rd plant were sent home at 2pm with full pay, while contract staff on the evening shift were subsequently sent home and told they would be given four hours’ pay.

Full-time evening shift staff in Cork were offered the same terms but declined, saying they were making themselves available for work.

Staff at the company’s plants in Clonmel and Galway are understood to have been told on Tuesday afternoon that they would not be required to work their shifts and could instead take unpaid leave or annual leave.

Boston Scientific, a medical technology multinational, was founded in 1979 in Massachusetts as a holding company for the medical products company Medi-Tech. It employs an estimated 59,000 people worldwide.