Canadian pharmacy retailer London Drugs has shuttered its entire network of over 80 stores across Western Canada in response to a cyberattack discovered over the weekend.
In a statement, London Drugs confirmed it fell victim to a cyberattack on April 28th that impacted its systems. Out of an “abundance of caution,” the company took the extraordinary step of closing all in-person retail locations until further notice.
“On April 28, 2024, London Drugs discovered that it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident. Out of an abundance of caution, London Drugs is closing all stores across Western Canada until further notice,” London Drugs said in a statement.
The chain is bringing in third-party cybersecurity experts to assist with:
- Containing the threat and preventing any potential system compromise
- Remediating damaged or vulnerable infrastructure
- Conducting a full forensic investigation to identify the attack vector and determine what, if any, data was accessed
“Upon discovering the incident, London Drugs immediately undertook countermeasures to protect its network and data, including retaining leading third-party cybersecurity experts to assist with containment, remediation and to conduct a forensic investigation.”
No Evidence of Customer Data Exposure Yet
So far, London Drugs claims it has found no proof that customer or employee personal information was targeted or stolen in the cyberattack.
The company advised customers to call their local pharmacy location regarding any urgent pharmacy needs until further updates.
Should the investigation reveal private data was compromised, London Drugs pledged to promptly notify affected individuals and privacy authorities.
Silence from London Drugs on Cyberattack Details
London Drugs has declined to provide further specifics about the cyberattack at this time. The cause, scope, and technical details all remain frustratingly unclear.
Customers have also reported issues accessing London Drugs’ mobile app, preventing online prescription refills during the outage.
This extra disruption suggests the pharmacy’s digital systems may be more deeply impacted than initially disclosed.
This cyberattack highlights the inherent risks organizations face from both external hackers and internal system vulnerabilities.
Independent pharmacies have proven lucrative targets due to the sensitivity of healthcare records in their possession.
London Drugs hopes to resolve and recover quickly to minimize trade disruptions.
With cyber attacks growing more common and sophisticated, this incident serves as another reminder for companies to bolster their security posture and incident response preparations.
