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MathWorks, the company behind the popular MATLAB software used by over five million people worldwide, has confirmed a ransomware attack that began on May 18, 2025. The attack disrupted online applications and internal systems, impacting licensing and access for users globally. The company has notified federal law enforcement and is working with cybersecurity experts to restore affected systems.

Commercial customers and STEM students have been significantly impacted by the prolonged outage. An IT manager at an engineering firm reported difficulties acquiring new licenses, hindering ongoing projects. Students also faced challenges, particularly with assessment tools like MATLAB Grader and Cody, which were only recently partially restored. Some frustrated users admitted to pirating the software due to the lack of access to the services they had paid for.

MathWorks has been issuing updates on its status page, initially citing technical issues before confirming the ransomware attack on May 26. While many systems are being brought back online, full recovery is still underway. The company has not yet disclosed details about the ransomware group responsible, whether a ransom was paid, or if data was exfiltrated.

ImgSrc: cms.therecord.m

References :

• The Dysruption Hub: MathWorks confirms ransomware attack disrupted MATLAB services starting May 18, impacting licensing and access for users worldwide.
• The Register - Software: Commercial customers, STEM students all feeling the pain after mega outage of engineering data-analysis tool Software biz MathWorks is cleaning up a ransomware attack more than a week after it took down MATLAB, its flagship product used by more than five million people worldwide.
• therecord.media: MathWorks — developer of MATLAB — has updated customers after initially reporting outages on May 18, confirming a ransomware attack that took down online applications and internal systems used by staff.
• The Record: MathWorks — developer of MATLAB — has updated customers after initially reporting outages on May 18, confirming a ransomware attack that took down online applications and internal systems used by staff.
• securebulletin.com: When the world’s engineers, scientists, and students logged in to MATLAB on May 18, 2025, many were met with silence—a digital void where powerful tools once lived.
• bsky.app: MathWorks, a leading developer of mathematical computing and simulation software, has revealed that a recent ransomware attack is behind an ongoing service outage.
• www.bleepingcomputer.com: MathWorks Blames Ransomware Attack for Ongoing Outages - BleepingComputer
• BleepingComputer: MathWorks, a leading developer of mathematical computing and simulation software, has revealed that a recent ransomware attack is behind an ongoing service outage.
• Doug Levin: Doug Levin: MathWorks experienced a ransomware attack.
• Secure Bulletin: Ransomware attack in MathWorks outage that paralyzed MATLAB
• DataBreaches.Net: MathWorks, Creator of MATLAB, Confirms Ransomware Attack
• Blog: Confirmed: MathWorks outage due to ransomware attack

Classification:

• HashTags: #Ransomware #MATLAB #MathWorks
• Company: MathWorks
• Target: MathWorks users
• Product: MATLAB
• Feature: Ransomware Attack
• Type: Ransomware
• Severity: Major