Cyberattacks Disrupt Russian Pharmacy Chains Stolichki and Neopharm, Primarily in Moscow

• What happened: The Neopharm and Stolichki pharmacy chains in Russia were targeted by cyberattacks.
• Impact: Over 1,100 pharmacy locations in more than 80 cities across central Russia have been impacted by closures.
• Confirmed intrusion: Initially attributing the issues to technical difficulties, Stolichki soon confirmed a cyberattack had occurred.

The Stolichki cyberattack has caused significant disruptions nationwide, leaving one of Russia’s largest pharmacy chains grappling with operational challenges. Stolichki confirmed that the cyberattack had affected its IT infrastructure,

The Moscow Times reports say the pharmacy chain, which operates over 1,000 stores across 80 cities, closed nearly 900 stores across Moscow and took its accounting systems offline. 

As of now, the company has restored operations in approximately half of its stores, with efforts to fully recover ongoing, according to an official company statement.  

Neopharm Cyberattack

Simultaneously, another Moscow-based pharmacy chain, Neopharm, reported similar challenges linked to an IT disruption affecting store operations and online services. A notice published on Neopharm’s website revealed that their e-commerce platform and some internal systems are temporarily down.  

Neopharm owns over 110 pharmacies in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Together, these attacks impacted over 1,100 pharmacy locations in more than 80 cities, according to reports.

Impact and Ongoing Response  

The cyberattacks have resulted in reduced customer access to essential pharmacy services, particularly in areas still awaiting restoration. The two chains are working to stabilize systems and ensure full operational recovery. 

Key details regarding the nature of the attack and its potential origin remain undisclosed.  

Broader Implications  

These attacks on Stolichki and Neopharm underscore the persistent risk posed to critical infrastructure, particularly in sectors that provide essential public services, such as healthcare and pharmacy operations.  

The Moscow Times reports that both pharmacy chains were previously controlled by former State Duma deputy Yevgeny Nifantiev. But the majority ownership was transferred to a private mutual fund in 2022.

In other news, Russian organizations were recently targeted in a Batavia spyware campaign via phishing emails.