Cyber incident at IPEN/CNEN suspends radiopharmaceutical production and supply in Brazil (2025)

On 28/03/2025, Brazil’s Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN) suffered a cyber incident involving a series of attacks against its network servers and workstations. To contain the event, CNEN disconnected IPEN’s network from the external environment, including internet access. As a consequence, IPEN temporarily suspended the production and supply of radiopharmaceuticals, disrupting deliveries to hospitals, clinics, and nuclear medicine centers across Brazil. CNEN emphasized that physical, radiological, and nuclear safety were not compromised. The suspension covered at least six products frequently cited by sector bodies (e.g., iodine‑131, lutetium‑177, thallium‑201, MIBG/Guan‑IPEN‑131, technetium‑99m generators, gallium‑67 citrate) while IT teams worked to safely restore operations.