Boston Scientific Hit by Cyberattack Disrupting Global Operations

Boston Scientific, a medical device developing and manufacturing company, in Galway, Ireland, on April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoyneBoston Scientific has been hit by a cyberattack, adding to the list of medical technology companies reporting such incidents this year.In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, the medical device maker said it detected a “cybersecurity incident” the previous day, which has resulted in a “global disruption” to its operations.The incident affected both the company’s IT systems and business applications that support aspects of its operations, including its ability to process and ship customer orders, according to the filing.Boston Scientific said it is working to restore the affected systems, though it did not provide a timeline for when operations are expected to return to normal.As the investigation continues, the company said the scale of impact remains unclear.“Accordingly, the company has not yet determined whether the incident is reasonably likely to have a material impact,” it told federal regulators.The cyberattack comes as Boston Scientific undertakes a global restructuring program that is expected to be completed by 2029.The company disclosed the restructuring to the SEC last month, saying the plan is focused largely on optimizing its supply chain and reducing costs.Boston Scientific expects the restructuring to result in between $700 million and $800 million in pretax charges, with the majority “expected to result in future cash outlays,” according to a regulatory filing.Once completed, however, the company expects the program to generate about $500 million in annual pretax savings, which it plans to reinvest in growth initiatives.Boston Scientific said it “does expect some headcount reductions” as a result of its restructuring efforts, but did not disclose how many jobs could be eliminated or where the cuts would occur.The company added that new positions are expected to be “created in areas of growth.”Boston Scientific also lowered its sales outlook in the second quarter, saying it now expects full-year 2026 organic revenue growth of 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent, down from its previous forecast of 6.5 percent to 8 percent.The company is one of a growing number of life sciences and medical technology firms to be hit by cyberattacks this year.In July, Abbott Laboratories said there was unauthorized access to a limited number of internal systems within its cancer diagnostics business.In an update earlier this month, the Illinois-based medtech company said the affected files contained personal information and/or protected health information.In June, cardiac monitoring company iRhythm Technologies told federal regulators that data had been stolen from third-party-hosted business applications during a cyberattack.The following day, an alleged threat actor demanded payment in exchange for not publicly releasing the information, according to the company’s SEC filing.In March, medical technology company Stryker suffered a cyberattack that disrupted ordering, shipping, and manufacturing operations for weeks.That same month, Intuitive Surgical said it was hit by a phishing attack that compromised data belonging to customers and employees of the surgical robotics company.