Oncology firm Novocure says cyberattack exposed US patient records

Oncology company Novocure said on Tuesday a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain information systems in mid-August exposed internal records of more than 1,400 U.S. patients.

The breach adds to ‌a ⁠growing number ⁠of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, including ​medical device makers Abbott, Stryker Medtronic and Boston Scientific, ​drugmaker Novo Nordisk and drug-delivery equipment supplier West Pharmaceutical Services.

Novocure said it activated ⁠its cybersecurity ‌response plan, implemented containment ​measures ​and initiated an internal investigation of ⁠the event.


The exposed data included ​internal company patient ID numbers and ​general contact information for healthcare providers the company works with and for Novocure employees such as their job titles and phone numbers.

Data for fewer ‌than 50 other patients in the western U.S. that included additional ​identifying information ​was also ⁠exposed.

The company said access to its medical treatment devices was not obtained, and that ​all its systems are fully functional.

Novocure does not expect this cybersecurity incident to have a material impact on its financials.