One of Switzerland’s largest drugmakers has found itself on the receiving end of a cyberattack, according to news reports.
Citing reports from a German public broadcaster, Reuters reported Wednesday that Roche was a victim, apparently of hackers supported by the Chinese government. That conclusion was based on an analysis of the code in the malware used in the attack, known as “Winnti,” according to the broadcaster, ARD.
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Other companies targeted in the same attack were Siemens, BASF, Henkel, Marriott, Lion Air, Shin-Etsu and Sumitomo.
The attack comes after another drugmaker, German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, reported in April that it was also attacked by Chinese hackers, apparently part of the “Wicked Panda” group that also used Winnti malware.
The companies all reported that no sensitive information was lost.
According to Mitre Att&ck, an online cybercrime information database, the Winnti Group is a threat group with Chinese origins that has been active since at least 2010 and has heavily targeted the gaming industry, but has also expanded its scope.
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On April 30, Wilmington, Massachusetts-based contract research organization Charles River Laboratories stated in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that in March, it too had been the victim of a “highly sophisticated, well-resourced intruder” who had broken into its computer system and copied data from its computer systems. The number of clients affected amounted to about 1 percent of the total number of organizations contracted with the CRO. The data stolen would not have included clinical information, as Charles River is a preclinical CRO.
At the time of the CRL hack, an expert said that the description of the hackers as “highly sophisticated” and “well-resourced” should not be interpreted to mean they are from what are known as “active, persistent threats,” or “APTs,” meaning state-backed groups. Nevertheless, he said, Chinese espionage groups are a frequent culprit in intrusions into drug companies and CROs, given that China has a particular interest in stealing biomedical research from the West in order to support its own efforts.
Photo: ValeryBrozhinsky, Getty Images
