Pharmacy association website hacked, defaced

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) was forced to take its website offline this week after the site was hacked into and defaced.

“Until we get the full extent of what has happened, we needed to pull it. We don’t want to put a website up if it is not safe,” said Michelle Fritts, spokesperson for APhA. On Monday, APhA’s site, www.pharmacist.com, was defaced by an “unknown individual or group,” according to a statement from the organization.

APhA officials do not know whether the organization was targeted or was the subject of a random attack, according to Fritts. No other healthcare or pharmacy organization has reported a similar website attack.

“APhA considers any attack on its website serious and is aggressively investigating. The incident has been reported to law enforcement, and APhA is working with forensic experts and investigators to determine the full extent of the attack,” the APhA statement said.

While it investigates the incident, APhA has taken its site offline temporarily, to protect its members’ and visitors’ personal information.

“The website will be up and running as soon as possible,” Fritts said. In addition, APhA officials hope to have more information next week on whether the organization was targeted and “what exactly has happened,” she said.