The attack on eResearchTechnology Inc., which has not previously been reported, began two weeks ago when employees discovered that they were locked out of their data by ransomware, an attack that holds victims data hostage until they pay to unlock it.
Among those hit were IQVIA, the contract research organization helping manage AstraZenecas COVID vaccine trial, and Bristol Myers Squibb, the drugmaker leading a consortium of companies to develop a quick test for the virus.
On Friday, Drew Bustos, ERTs vice president of marketing, confirmed that its systems had been seized by ransomware on Sept.
He added that ERT was starting to bring its systems back online on Friday and planned to bring remaining systems online over the coming days.
The attack on ERT follows another major ransomware attack last weekend on Universal Health Services, a major hospital chain with more than 400 locations, many in the United States.
The attacks, once treated as a nuisance, have taken on greater urgency in recent weeks, as American officials worry they may interfere, directly or indirectly, with the November election.
A ransomware attack in Germany resulted in the first known death from a cyberattack in recent weeks, after Russian hackers seized 30 servers at University Hospital Dsseldorf, crashing systems and forcing the hospital to turn away emergency patients.
Even countries that previously did not stand out for their cyberprowess, like South Korea and Vietnam, have been named in recent security reports as countries that are actively engaged in hacking global health organizations in the pandemic.
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