Ransomware attack hits German pharmaceutical wholesaler, disrupts medicine supplies

AEP, a German pharmaceutical wholesaler based in Bavaria, said it was hit by a ransomware attack that could disrupt the supply of medicine to thousands of pharmacies.

In a statement on the AEP website, the company described the cyberattack as “targeted and criminal” and resulting in the partial encryption of AEP’s IT systems.

The incident was said to have been detected last week, with the company saying it “took necessary and far-reaching protective measures” after discovering what was happening.

AEP employs around 200 people and supplies more than 6,000 pharmacies across Germany. The Bavarian Pharmacists Association said that these pharmacies should be able to use supplies from other wholesalers to make up for the disruption, as reported by Bayerischer Rundfunk.

The attack is being investigated by the Bavarian State Criminal Police office.

AEP said it was “working intensively on a solution with the help of external experts for cyber incidents and IT forensics,” and that it had “immediately disconnected all external connections and shut down all affected IT systems.”

The company added that it was “currently not available by phone and can only be reached by email to a very limited extent.”

The incident is just the latest cyberattack to affect the pharmaceutical industry. In February, the international pharmaceutical giant Cencora said information from its IT systems was stolen by hackers, and a wide-reaching attack on Change Healthcare that month disrupted the ability for pharmacies across the U.S. to fill prescriptions.