MSD Breach Incident Score: Analysis & Impact (MSD0602706111825)

In this Rankiteo incident briefing, we review the MSD breach identified under incident ID MSD0602706111825.

The analysis begins with a detailed overview of MSD's information like the linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/msd-global, the number of followers: 1133621, the industry type: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and the number of employees: 35519 employees

After the initial compromise, the video explains how Rankiteo's incident engine converts technical details into a normalized incident score. The incident score before the incident was 804 and after the incident was 757 with a difference of -47 which is could be a good indicator of the severity and impact of the incident.

In the next step of the video, we will analyze in more details the incident and the impact it had on MSD and their customers.

On 17 November 2025, Merck Sharpe & Dohme LLC disclosed data breach and third-party breach issues under the banner "Merck Sharpe & Dohme LLC Data Breach via Graebel Companies Inc.".

Merck Sharpe & Dohme LLC, a multinational pharmaceutical company, experienced a data breach through its U.S.-based service provider, Graebel Companies Inc., which handles employee relocation management services.

The disruption is felt across the environment, affecting Graebel Companies Inc. systems, and exposing True.

In response, teams activated the incident response plan, moved swiftly to contain the threat with measures like system access restrictions (by Graebel), while recovery efforts such as notifications to affected individuals and free identity theft protection services (Cyberscout) continue, and stakeholders are being briefed through direct mailing to affected individuals, public disclosure via Massachusetts Attorney General’s office and legal advisories via Shamis & Gentile P.A.

The case underscores how ongoing (full extent of breach not yet known), and recommending next steps like Monitor financial accounts for suspicious activity, Sign up for free Cyberscout identity theft protection services and Place a fraud alert with credit bureaus, with advisories going out to stakeholders covering notifications mailed to affected individuals.

Finally, we try to match the incident with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to see if there is any correlation between the incident and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of techniques and sub-techniques that are used to describe the tactics and procedures of cyber adversaries. It is a powerful tool for understanding the threat landscape and for developing effective defense strategies.

Rankiteo's analysis has identified several MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques associated with this incident, each with varying levels of confidence based on available evidence. Under the Initial Access tactic, the analysis identified Supply Chain Compromise: Third-party Software (T1195.002) with high confidence (95%), supported by evidence indicating third-party breach, unauthorized access to Graebel’s systems and Valid Accounts (T1078) with moderate to high confidence (85%), supported by evidence indicating unauthorized access to Graebel’s systems (implies abuse of valid credentials or accounts). Under the Collection tactic, the analysis identified Data from Local System (T1005) with high confidence (90%), supported by evidence indicating pII of current/former Merck employees exposed via Graebel’s systems. Under the Exfiltration tactic, the analysis identified Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol: Exfiltration to Cloud Storage (T1048.003) with moderate to high confidence (80%), supported by evidence indicating data exfiltration such as likely (under investigation) via compromised third-party (Graebel). Under the Impact tactic, the analysis identified Data from Cloud Storage Object: Personally Identifiable Information (T1598.003) with high confidence (95%), supported by evidence indicating pII such as names, SSNs, financial account details exposed in breach and Identity Theft (T1659) with high confidence (90%), supported by evidence indicating high identity theft risk (PII exposed), free Cyberscout identity theft protection. Under the Defense Evasion tactic, the analysis identified Indicator Removal: File Deletion (T1070.004) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating investigation ongoing (full extent unknown) suggests potential log/trace tampering. These correlations help security teams understand the attack chain and develop appropriate defensive measures based on the observed tactics and techniques.