London Drugs Shuts Down Stores Following Cyber Incident

London Drugs, a prominent Canadian pharmacy retailer, has temporarily closed all of its stores across Western Canada due to a cybersecurity incident discovered on Sunday. The Richmond, British Columbia-based retailer operates more than 80 stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and it has shut down operations, including its phone lines, while it investigates the breach. The company has enlisted a third-party cybersecurity firm to assess the scope of the incident and work on restoring operations in a secure manner.

Clint Mahlman, president and chief operating officer of London Drugs, stated that the company’s priority is to have all stores fully operational as quickly as possible. Despite the closures, pharmacists are available at each location to continue filling prescriptions for patients with urgent needs.

London Drugs is working with the cybersecurity firm to determine if any personal data was compromised during the incident. This breach follows a similar attack in February on Change Healthcare, a division of UnitedHealth Group, which provides financial services to healthcare organizations across the U.S. Change Healthcare experienced a breach due to gaps in its security infrastructure, leading to concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive information.

The healthcare sector has been facing an alarming increase in cybersecurity incidents, with the HIPAA Journal reporting a sharp rise in data breaches. In 2023 alone, 725 large data breaches occurred in the U.S., more than double the number reported in 2018. As of April 2024, 218 breaches have already been reported this year. This growing trend highlights the critical need for stronger cybersecurity measures, particularly as healthcare services increasingly rely on digital systems for data management and payment processing.

As London Drugs works to resolve the situation, customers and employees across Western Canada continue to feel the impact of these store closures, with the company emphasizing its commitment to restoring full service as soon as possible.