Boston Scientific's IT team continues its 'recovery efforts' after cyber attack

Staff in Irish branches of US multinational Boston Scientific are to be paid for the two days the company has so far been shut down by a cyberattack, it is understood.

The medical device maker yesterday confirmed that it has suffered a cyberattack which has disrupted its global operations.

The company said it had detected the attack on Tuesday and activated incident-response procedures, working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate and contain the threat.

The attack is expected to continue to affect parts of the company’s business, including information systems used to process and ship customer orders.

The company employs more than 7,000 staff across its three Irish plants in Cork, Clonmel, and Galway.

An estimated 1,200 people work at its Model Farm Rd plant in Cork, which was established in 1997.

It is understood that full-time and contract staff were told they will be paid for Tuesday and yesterday.

There were concerns that contract staff would be expected to take holiday pay or unpaid leave for the two days.

Shares in the €62bn company fell 4.5% yesterday in morning trading on the stock exchange after confirmation of the attack.

The incident is the latest in a series of cyberattacks against health sector multinationals.

In March of this year, global medical technology company Stryker — which employs up to 5,000 people in Ireland and is headquartered in Cork — was crippled by a cyberattack suspected of being carried out by an Iranian-backed group.

Staff at the Cork Boston Scientific plant were told early yesterday morning that those who could work from home should do so. In an email to all staff, Catherine Stoessel, the company’s senior vice-president and chief information officer, said “on-site shift requirements” would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

In her email, which was received by Irish staff at 4am yesterday morning, Ms Stoessel said: “Recovery operations will take place in phases, with sites and areas prioritised by business need.”

She warned that employees should expect delays, as the company’s IT support team continued its “recovery efforts”.