Abbott Laboratories announced Friday that it is looking into two separate cybersecurity breaches involving unauthorized access to internal systems connected to its cancer diagnostics business and an online portal called LabCentral.
The company stated that no other business units, locations, or systems were affected by the breach tied to its cancer diagnostics division. Abbott also noted that legacy Exact Sciences systems are completely separate from its own systems.
In a second incident, a hacker allegedly broke into the LabCentral portal — an externally accessible, third-party-hosted platform used by Abbott’s core laboratory diagnostics operations. Abbott said the intrusion had no impact on its business or customers, and there is no known exposure of sensitive customer or business data.
Abbott described LabCentral as a repository of publicly available technical documents, including product operating manuals, troubleshooting guides, and product specifications. The portal did not house any proprietary or sensitive information, the company said.
Cyberattacks on healthcare companies have been on the rise, with recent incidents hitting firms including Clover Health Investments, Stryker, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, and West Pharmaceutical Services. Such attacks can disrupt operations, limit access to critical data, and raise serious concerns about protecting sensitive information.
Abbott said it has already taken steps to address both incidents, has engaged outside cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement, and is continuing to investigate what information may have been accessed.
The company does not anticipate any significant impact on its business operations or financial results as a result of either incident.
