Auto supplier Parker Hannifin Corp. disclosed April 5 in a regulatory filing that a third party "gained unauthorized access to the company's systems" on March 14 and obtained company data, and possibly personal information of Parker's employees.
The Mayfield Heights, Ohio-based maker of motion and control technologies said in the filing that when the third party's presence was detected, it "immediately activated incident response protocols, which included shutting down certain systems and commencing an investigation of the incident, which is ongoing."
Parker said it notified and is working with "relevant law enforcement authorities, and engaged legal counsel and other third-party incident response and cybersecurity professionals."
The company's investigation into the breach is is ongoing, but Parker said it "believes some data was accessed and taken and may include personal information of company team members."
Parker said that based on its preliminary assessment and on information currently known, "the incident has not had a significant financial or operational impact, and the company does not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results."
The filing stated that Parker's business systems "are fully operational, and the company maintains insurance, subject to certain deductibles and policy limitations typical for its size and industry."
A Parker spokesman wrote in an email that the company was not responding to questions about the filing but offered this statement:
Parker has determined that it has recently been the target of a cyberattack where a third party gained unauthorized access to Parker's systems. Upon detecting this activity, our IT team immediately activated our incident response protocols which included shutting down these systems and commencing an investigation of the incident, which is ongoing.
Unfortunately, certain company information was accessed and is believed to have been taken, the nature of which is being actively examined as part of the ongoing investigation. A forensic investigation firm has been engaged to assist Parker in investigating this incident. We also notified, and are working with, relevant law enforcement authorities.
Our business systems are operational, and we continue to take orders, make, ship and bill products.
Cybersecurity is critically important to Parker. We are continuing to take appropriate measures to safeguard our systems and data against the rapidly evolving threat landscape.