MATLAB Developer Hit by Ransomware, 10,000 Users’ Data Stolen
▼ Summary
– MathWorks suffered a ransomware attack in April that compromised data of over 10,000 individuals, as disclosed in a May 27 announcement.
– The breach disrupted internal systems and customer services, including MFA, SSO, the cloud center, and online store.
– Stolen personal information included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and/or other national IDs.
– The company discovered the incident on May 18, over a month after initial access, and no ransomware group has claimed responsibility yet.
– MathWorks, known for MATLAB and Simulink software, has not provided further details or commented on the ransom situation.
MathWorks, the prominent developer behind the widely-used MATLAB and Simulink platforms, has confirmed a significant ransomware attack that compromised the personal data of more than 10,000 individuals. The breach, which occurred in April, led to service disruptions and unauthorized access to sensitive customer information, raising serious concerns about data security in the scientific and engineering software sector.
The company publicly acknowledged the incident on May 27, attributing recent service outages to a ransomware event that affected internal systems and several customer-facing applications. Among the services disrupted were multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), the MathWorks cloud center, file exchange, license center, and the online store.
According to a filing with the Maine Attorney General’s office, MathWorks first detected the breach on May 18, more than a month after the initial unauthorized access occurred. The same document confirmed that data belonging to 10,476 people was exfiltrated during the attack.
In data breach notifications submitted to the Massachusetts Attorney General, the company detailed that stolen documents contained a range of personally identifiable information. Depending on the individual, this could include names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and other national identification numbers.
While MathWorks has openly described the event as a ransomware attack, it has not disclosed which specific threat actor was responsible. No ransomware group has publicly taken credit for the breach, a situation that often indicates ongoing negotiations or a paid ransom.
Established in 1984 and based in Natick, Massachusetts, MathWorks employs more than 6,500 people across 34 global offices. Its products, including the industry-standard MATLAB and Simulink software, are used by over 100,000 organizations and millions of customers worldwide.
A request for comment from MathWorks went unanswered at the time of reporting.
(Source: Bleeping Computer)
