Synlab medical centers under hacker attack. All the details about the company
Synlab diagnostic centers targeted by cybercriminals. Less than 24 hours after the cyber attack, the company informed that services were gradually resuming. Here are the shareholders, top management and balance sheet of the company
Computer hackers are once again targeting another Italian healthcare company.
This time the network of Synlab Italia, one of the main providers of medical diagnosis services with headquarters in Monza, whose Italian medical diagnostic centers are distributed in nine Italian regions, was paralyzed by a hacker attack.
Due to the cyber attack recorded on its IT systems on 18 April, Synlab was forced to suspend all activities at national level at the sampling points (sample collection and delivery), including the download and collection of reports.
To deal with the attack, the company announced that it had immediately set up a task force made up of internal and external professionals and is working to restore its systems as soon as possible and limit the damage, in collaboration with the relevant authorities. Synlab apologized for the inconvenience caused to patients who were waiting for reports, even important tests.
On April 20, Synlab announced that "services are gradually resuming less than 24 hours after the cybercriminal attack".
The details of the attack are currently unknown: no criminal group has claimed responsibility for the attack, nor have the name of the company and its patients' health data appeared on the dark web.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SYNLAB
Synlab Italia “informs all patients and customers that it has suffered a hacker attack on its IT systems throughout the national territory – the company explained on its website on April 19 – As a precaution, as soon as the attack was identified and according to company procedures of IT security, all company IT systems in Italy were immediately deactivated."
“Following the hacker attack on its IT systems, — continued Synlab in the press release — all activities at the sampling points remain suspended at a national level until further notice (sample sampling and delivery), including the download and collection of reports .”
As soon as the attack was identified, “all company IT systems in Italy were immediately deactivated. In the following hours, Synlab ensured the safety of the biological samples already collected according to current regulations and progressively and safely reactivated some services such as specialist outpatient visits and physiotherapy" he added.
A TASK FORCE ESTABLISHED
“The company promptly established a task force, made up of internal and external professionals, and is working to mitigate the impacts and restore its systems as soon as possible, in collaboration with the competent authorities – he added – Unfortunately, due to the current situation, we inform our customers and patients that all activities at sampling points, medical centers and laboratories in Italy remain suspended until further notice, including the download and collection of reports". Synlab apologized "for the inconvenience that is resulting from the situation" and underlines that "it is not currently able to establish when operations can be restored".
The task force of experts is analyzing "every single portion of the IT infrastructure, including backup systems", in order to restore its systems safely as soon as possible.
REPORT TO THE POSTAL POLICE AND NOTIFICATION TO THE PRIVACY GUARANTOR
Furthermore, the company has filed a complaint with the Postal Police and initiated the preliminary notification procedure to the Privacy Guarantor, as current legislation requires in these cases.
THE COMPANY'S POSITION
As already mentioned, on April 20 the company announced that services were gradually resuming less than 24 hours after the cybercriminal attack.
Therefore, Synlab has renewed its apologies to patients "for the inconvenience resulting from the current situation and has made available, with reference to all facilities in the territories, dedicated telephone and social channels for the management of requests and information. The company is constantly updating patients, customers and the public through the website www.synlab.it and social channels”.
At the moment, Synlab Italia has not yet communicated the technical details of the attack and has not made information available regarding the security of patient data.
WHAT IS SYNLAB ITALIA
Synlab Italia is active in the healthcare services sector and in particular is active in these segments: laboratory diagnostics, image diagnostics, specialist clinics and physiotherapy.
The company belongs to an international group controlled by Synlab Ag, which has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 30 April 2021. As of December 31, 2022, its main shareholder is the foreign investment fund Cinven Capital Management General Partner Limited, with a share of approximately 43%, while the free float on the market is approximately 27%.
With a share capital of 550 thousand euros, the company is 100% directly controlled by the sole shareholder Synlab Holding Italy Srl and the management and coordination activity is carried out by the indirect parent company Synlab Ag, a company incorporated under German law. The Italian group is based in Monza and has around 900 employees.
THE SUMMITS
the board of directors chaired by Andrea Buratti, Gianluca Capuano (CEO) and Stefano Ruffini (chief operation officer of the Synlab Italia group).
THE NUMBERS OF THE 2022 BUDGET
The company filed its 2022 financial statements with a value of production parts at 175.5 million euros, down compared to 191 million euros at 31 December 2021. Total costs amounted to 147 million euros, an improvement compared to 153 million euros in 2021. Synlab closed the 2022 financial statements in positive: the profit at 31 December 2022 amounted to 20.9 million euros, slightly down compared to the 26 million in 2021.
The healthcare company boasts a total of tangible assets worth 10.6 million euros and has total debts of 38.4 million euros.
THE HEALTH SECTOR IN THE FIGHTS OF COMPUTER HIRAKERS
The hacker attack on Synlab Italia comes less than a month after the news that the Italian Privacy Guarantor has imposed fines following the proceedings opened after the cyber attack on the Lazio regional healthcare system which occurred on the night between July 31st and July 1st. August 2021. LAZIOcrea (the company that manages regional information systems), the Lazio Region and ASL Roma 3 will have to pay 271 thousand, 120 thousand and 10 thousand euros respectively.
Without forgetting that less than a year ago (3 May 2023) the computer system of ASL 1 Abruzzo was blocked following a hacker attack, the L'Aquila healthcare company immediately admitted on its website. But in addition to the emergency that brought the IT system to its knees, paralyzing the services and performance of ASL 1, a serious violation of citizens' privacy followed. In fact, reports and tests of patients from the Avezzano-L'Aquila-Sulmona ASL were online.
Demonstrations of the fact that the Italian healthcare sector is a privileged target for cyber criminals.
THE EXPERT'S COMMENT
At Corriere della Sera , the popularizer and cyber-security expert Corrado Giustozzi explained that «In Italy it is a sector that is poorly prepared on a technological level, often defenseless. And the organized crime behind these attacks is not interested in the results of diagnostic tests on millions of people but in a ransom, because blocking a service can even cause death"
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/cybersecurity/i-centri-medici-di-synlab-sotto-attacco-hacker-tutti-i-dettagli-sulla-societa/ on Mon, 22 Apr 2024 09:52:01 +0000.