ScanSource ransomware attack halts business operations

ScanSource, a multi-billion dollar hybrid cloud and technology distribution company, has been hit by ransomware.

The publicly traded American tech company said IT teams discovered the attack over the weekend after some of its internal systems were knocked offline, impacting business operations.

“The Company is working closely with forensic and cybersecurity experts to investigate the extent of the incident, minimize disruption and mitigate the situation,” ScanSource announced in a press release Tuesday.

“ScanSource regrets any inconvenience or delays in business this may cause customers and suppliers in North America and Brazil and appreciates their patience,” the company said.

Headquartered in South Carolina, ScanSource is a major distributor of automatic and data identification capture (AIDC) technology, including thousands of products, such as point-of-sale and payment systems, barcoding scanners, and network and communications hardware.

The company said upon the discovery, it immediately launched an investigation, implemented its Incident Response Plan, and notified law enforcement authorities.

ScanSource has not provided detailed information about what systems were affected, the overall impact on business operations, or how many customers may have been impacted.

“Our expectations with regard to resolving the issues are forward-looking statements, and actual results could be materially different due to a number of factors, including our ability to successfully restore IT functionality in the affected systems,” it said.

Besides the US, ScanSource has distribution centers in Toronto, Mexico, and Belgium, supplying on-premises, cloud, and hybrid software and infrastructure services to thousands of small to midsize businesses around the world.

Scansource offers more than 34,000 products from more than 60 manufacturers, according to a Reference for Business site profile.

Last year, the company reported $3.5 billion in annual sales revenue.