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Last year, more than 10 percent of German companies were affected by an IT security incident, with the proportion increasing due to cyber attacks. Biotechnology is not excluded either. It is possible to learn from the Evotec case.

It is about successful cyber attacks or other incidents that are important for security, such as acts of sabotage or hardware theft. According to a representative Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the TÜV association among 501 companies with more than ten employees. According to TÜV, around 50,000 incidents in this size category were recorded in absolute figures in June. Hacker attacks cause enormous damage to the German economy and are estimated at 200 billion euros annually.

Last year, more than 10 percent of German companies were affected by an IT security incident, with the proportion increasing due to cyber attacks. Biotechnology is not excluded either. It is possible to learn from the Evotec case.

It is about successful cyber attacks or other incidents that are important for security, such as acts of sabotage or hardware theft. According to a representative Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the TÜV association among 501 companies with more than ten employees. According to TÜV, around 50,000 incidents in this size category were recorded in absolute figures in June. Hacker attacks cause enormous damage to the German economy and are estimated at 200 billion euros annually.

Incorrect configurations or inadequately managed user accounts are examples of this. Hackers are also increasingly attacking pharmaceutical and biotech companies and the healthcare sector as a whole, and the public is now hearing about this more frequently than before, including at an international level. In June, the Japanese company Eisai announced that it had been affected by a ransomware attack. In March, Sun Pharmaceuticals discovered that some of its file systems had been compromised by an attack. Last year, Novartis was hit by such an attack. In 2020, AstraZeneca was attacked by hackers. In 2017, malware damaged Merck's computers in what may be the most high-profile case in history. This cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars and affected the production of its HPV vaccine. 

However, Evotec's management team, consisting of Werner Lanthaler and Matthias Evers, tried to demonstrate their ability to act and presented an example of how fast and transparent communication is possible in a highly sensitive area of data security in order to strengthen trust instead of losing it. Evotec is a global biotechnology company with many pharmaceutical partnerships and multiple sites.

A sum of 70 to 90 million euros can be gained from lost business with partners, a complete IT failure and the establishment of a secure new IT environment.

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