Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., headquartered in the United States of America, experienced a significant cybersecurity incident. On March 1, 2019, the organisation detected unauthorized access to its information systems by a highly sophisticated intruder. This breach resulted in the copying of data belonging to approximately one percent of its client base. The affected clients were primarily entities within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Importantly, the compromised data did not include any patient information. Furthermore, investigators found no evidence that data was deleted, corrupted, or altered during the incident.

Following the discovery of the breach, Charles River Laboratories initiated a comprehensive investigation. This investigation involved collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and external cybersecurity experts. The company implemented immediate containment measures to secure its systems and prevent further unauthorized activity. Subsequent monitoring confirmed that no continued unauthorized access occurred after the breach was contained. Concurrently, Charles River Laboratories notified the affected clients about the incident and the nature of the data accessed. While full remediation efforts were reported as ongoing at the time of disclosure, the company also undertook enhancements to its system security posture to bolster defenses against future incidents. The focus remained on protecting client information and maintaining operational integrity.