A cybersecurity incident impacted Brazil Nuclear Institute: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN) on March 28, 2025. The National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) reported multiple attempts to breach the institute’s network. In response, the IT teams initiated corrective measures to mitigate damage and restore operations. However, access to external networks, including the internet, was temporarily disconnected as a preventive measure.
CNEN assured that there was no breach of physical, radiological, or nuclear security at IPEN. The disruption led to a halt in the production and supply of vital radioactive medicines, including Iodo-131, Lutécio-177, and Tálio-201. These drugs are crucial for the treatment of thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and heart diagnostics, among others.
Brazil Nuclear Institute Announced That The outage also affected the production of Gerador de tecnécio-99m, a key radioisotope in nuclear medicine.
The CNEN is prioritizing efforts to resume the production and supply of these essential pharmaceuticals to hospitals and patients in need. Efforts are ongoing to ensure the availability of these critical treatments. While the incident’s impact on patient care is a concern, authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and work to restore full functionality.
The origin and perpetrators of the attack are still under investigation.
CNEN has not provided details on the attack’s source, but the priority remains on resolving the issue and safeguarding the institute’s operations.
The situation highlights the vulnerabilities in the infrastructure of medical and research facilities relying on digital systems.
CNEN said it is prioritizing the reestablishment of these supplies, which are fundamental for hospitals and patients undergoing treatment. Authorities are monitoring the case, but there is still no information on the source of the attack or possible perpetrators.
This follows a serial cyberattacks targeting Brazilian institutions such as Superior Court and Navy Website where the official website of the Brazilian Navy was taken offline, marking another cyberattack by the hacker Azael. The attack disrupted access to key public services, official publications, and transparency content, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in critical state systems. Azael, who previously targeted entities like Petrobras and the Superior Federal Court (STJ), claimed responsibility for the breach on online forums and social media. While the exact cause of the outage remains unclear, reports of system instabilities align with previous claims made by the hacker.
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