Novo Nordisk Data Breach: Cyber Extortion Group FulcrumSec Claims Theft of 1.3 TB of Sensitive Data After USD 25 Million Ransom Demand
The cyber extortion group FulcrumSec has claimed responsibility for hacking Novo Nordisk, alleging it stole 1.3 terabytes of data after a failed USD 25 million ransom demand. Novo Nordisk disclosed the breach on June 11, confirming unauthorised access to clinical trial data. The company is coordinating with authorities while maintaining that its core operations remain stable.
The cyber extortion collective known as FulcrumSec has claimed responsibility for a significant data breach involving the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, alleging they exfiltrated over 1.3 terabytes of sensitive company data. The hackers assert that the breach occurred after they gained access to the firm's network in March and subsequently demanded a USD 25 million ransom, which the company refused to pay.
FulcrumSec claims to have spent more than two months within Novo Nordisk's internal systems, during which time they allegedly harvested a vast array of proprietary information. According to the group, the stolen trove includes company source code, proprietary data on both released and unreleased drug programmes, clinical trial records, and internal artificial intelligence models. Oracle Issues Security Warning After ShinyHunters Exploits Critical Zero-Day Flaw in PeopleSoft Software To Breach 100+ Organisations.
The group stated that it has opted to withhold certain sensitive files, including personal records of thousands of employees and approximately 11,500 pseudonymised clinical trial patients, as part of what it described as a harm-reduction strategy. However, the hackers have threatened to explore private sales for other portions of the data, such as internal operational documents and proprietary compound research.
Novo Nordisk Official Response and Ongoing Investigation
Novo Nordisk first disclosed the security incident on June 11, confirming that unauthorised parties had accessed a limited number of internal IT systems and exfiltrated certain non-public data. The company has maintained that the patient data involved, such as patient IDs, sex, and birth year, was pseudonymised, meaning that identifying individuals directly would require additional information that was not compromised in the attack. Meta Security Breach: AI Chatbot Bug Exposes 20,225 Instagram Accounts to Hackers, Says Report.
In a statement, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson confirmed the company is aware of claims that the copied data is being published online. The firm emphasised that its core operations remain functional and that it is working closely with relevant authorities and cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach. While researchers at firms like Lab-1 have noted that FulcrumSec generally possesses legitimate technical capabilities, independent verification of the full scope of the leaked data remains ongoing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2026 08:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
