British engineering giant Smiths Group is scrambling to restore systems that were knocked offline in response to a cyberattack.
The company said it was managing the attack, which it described as a cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorized access to some of its systems.
“We are currently managing a cyber incident involving unauthorized access to our systems. As soon as we became aware of this activity, we rapidly isolated the affected systems and activated business continuity plans,” a Smiths spokesperson told SecurityWeek.
“We are working with cyber security experts to identify the extent of the incident and we are taking steps to comply with all relevant regulatory requirements,” the spokesperson said.
In a Tuesday incident notice, Smiths said it has been working on restoring the affected systems and on determining the impact on its business. The engineering giant’s shares dropped over 2% shortly after the hack was publicly disclosed.
While the company has not shared specific information on the type of cyberattack it fell victim to, ransomware might have been used, as taking systems offline is the typical response to a ransomware attack.
SecurityWeek has not seen any known ransomware group claiming responsibility for the attack.
It is unclear whether hackers accessed any business or personal information and whether they attempted to extort the company, but Smiths said it would provide updates on the incident “as and when appropriate”.
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Headquartered in London, Smiths Group has roughly 15,000 employees in over 50 countries, providing mission-critical technologies and services for aerospace, defense, energy, safety and security, chemical, water, mining, life sciences, and other industries.