Steris, a US company that provides a range of medical products and services, was hit with a cybersecurity incident in late 2020. The Steris data breach was reportedly part of the collateral damage of the Accellion cyberattack, in which hackers breached the well-known technology company’s systems.
Among Accellion’s products and services is their FTA (File Transfer Appliance), which they sell to business customers to provide them with a secure means of moving digital files. However, the integrity of this application was compromised when it was subjected to an external hack, which has since been linked to the exposure and potentially the publication of private information.
Not only has the error compromised data security, the event could also put a strain on Accellion’s business relationships. The Accellion cyberattack and resultant Steris data breach demonstrate the damage that could be done to a company’s reputation when data protection breaches occur.
The Accellion cyber incident
The repercussions of the Accellion cyberattack have been reported in the news throughout 2021, but the incident itself was understood to have been first discovered in December 2020. A vulnerability reportedly allowed hackers to breach Accellion’s FTA server, and the company had to quickly repair the issue to put a halt to the unauthorised access.
Despite stating that the error was corrected within a 72 hour window, Accellion later had to concede that there were further vulnerabilities.
Since the hack occurred, some Accellion customers have been slow to understand their involvement in the data breach. For example, investment banking firm Morgan Stanley only joined the list of victims in July 2021. In comparison, the Steris data breach was identified much earlier in the year.
Steris data breach – how did the Accellion hack affect Steris?
The impact of Steris data breach has not been described in great detail by the company itself. In its statement, Steris was keen to highlight that its own systems had not been breached, instead stressing that only a small amount of information contained on Accellion’s FTA server had been affected. It was stated that an investigation had begun into the Steris data breach with the help of external experts, but the outcome of this has not been revealed.
However, one report has gone into more detail on the Steris information that may have been exposed, alleging that confidential reports and a highly secret chemical formula have been published online by a ransomware gang. As such, the Steris data breach may have the potential to compromise the security of sensitive business operations.
Data breaches by businesses
The Accellion hack and its repercussions on many businesses indicates how severely one data breach incident can ripple across associated parties. Businesses must, therefore, recognise the importance of data protection responsibilities if they are to both comply with the law and maintain their reputation.
Unfortunately, not all businesses meet the legal standards for data protection. If you have been affected by a data breach that a third-party company is responsible for, you could be eligible to claim compensation for the harm caused.
Contact our expert team today for free, no-obligation advice on your potential claim.
The content of this post/page was considered accurate at the time of the original posting and/or at the time of any posted revision. The content of this page may, therefore, be out of date. The information contained within this page does not constitute legal advice. Any reliance you place on the information contained within this page is done so at your own risk.
Request a call back from our team
Fill out our quick call back form below and we'll contact you when you're ready to talk to us.
All fields are required.