Operations are suspended by Synlab Italia after a ransomware attack.

All medical diagnostic and testing services offered by Synlab Italia have been suspended following the forced removal of its IT systems due to a ransomware attack.

The Synlab Italia network, which is a part of the Synlab group with operations in 30 countries, manages 380 laboratories and medical facilities throughout Italy. It performs 35 million analyses annually and has a $426 million yearly turnover.

The business said late last week that it had experienced a security breach early on April 18, forcing it to shut down every machine in order to contain the harmful activities.

"As soon as they became aware, the IT department proceeded to exclude the entire corporate infrastructure from the network and to shut down all the machines in compliance with the company's IT security procedures," according to the notice.

The business has not confirmed, although it's possible that the attackers gained access to some private medical information.

"As Data Processor pursuant to art. 28 GDPR, we inform you that to date, we cannot exclude that this attack may concern the personal data referred to in the services provided to you and under your ownership of the treatment" - Synlab Italia

All laboratory analysis and sample collecting services have been put on hold until further notice due to this event. Because email communication services are no longer available, customers are encouraged to contact Synlab by phone.

Medical samples are kept in low-temperature environments as needed in each case that Synlab received prior to the cyberattack but had not yet begun to examine. However, clients may need to submit fresh samples based on the duration required to restore systems.

Over the weekend, the company sent an update stating that it has been progressively reactivating certain services, such as physiotherapy and specialized outpatient appointments.

In the interim, efforts are being made to ensure that the IT infrastructure is free of virus and to restore systems from backup.

"In these hours, the SYNLAB task force is being analyzed for every single portion of the IT infrastructure, including backup systems, in order to restore the systems safely as soon as possible," according to the status report.

A timetable for recovery was not given. For further information, clients were advised to visit the website or follow Synlab on social media.

As of this writing, no significant ransomware groups had taken ownership of the Synlab Italia hack.

Source: Bleepingcomputer