WS Audiology Investigates Cybersecurity Incident Affecting IT Systems

WS Audiology (WSA), the parent company of Widex and Signia, is investigating a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to parts of its information-technology infrastructure.

WSA told HearingTracker that it proactively took certain internal and customer-facing IT systems offline as a precautionary measure and to contain the incident. For hearing aid users, the Widex MOMENT app was most affected but is expected to be restored over the weekend. For hearing care professionals, Widex Compass Cloud was proactively taken offline as part of the containment activities but is now available for hearing aid fitting and fine-tuning for patients. Likewise, Signia Telecare was taken offline but is expected to be available early next week.

WSA updated its statement about the IT breach today, October 30:

WSA has been responding to a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain IT systems. As soon as the incident was identified, we took immediate action and worked with our global IT partners to contain the situation.

The incident related to WSA’s own IT environment. Our business operations and core services have continued to operate but with some interruptions due to our containment activities.

As a precautionary measure and to further support containment efforts, WSA proactively took some IT systems offline while our technical teams investigated. These systems are now being restored in a phased and prioritized manner.

We would like to thank our customers for your patience and support. We remain focused on completing the restoration process while continuing to deliver our services without further disruption.

According to WSA, the Widex and Signia hearing aids themselves were not affected, but some applications remain unavailable. A spokesperson for WSA emphasized to HearingTracker that “the security threat was not caused by our cloud-based software, and it is safe to resume using [Widex Compass Cloud]...As mentioned, we took down WCC proactively, not because it wasn’t functioning.”

The company reports that it continues the restoration process, which is progressing as planned. Widex Compass Cloud is now fully functional and Widex hearing aids, including Widex Allure and Allure AI, can be fitted as usual; it’s expected the Widex MOMENT app will be restored over the weekend.

Signia hearing aids can also be fitted and fine-tuned as usual; however, Signia TeleCare is currently unavailable and expected to be restored by early next week.

All WSA e-commerce sites are fully functional, and orders are still able to be placed through these sites. The company says its business operations are running with some interruptions due to the containment activities, but current orders continue to be processed and shipped.

For some Widex MOMENT wearers, the disruption appears to have affected access to their listening settings, even though their hearing aids continue to amplify sound. This is only for the MOMENT app. In a HearingTracker forum discussion, one user reported being unable to select a preferred classroom listening preset while teaching. Other participants described difficulty accessing app-based controls, although some iPhone users retain access to certain programs through Apple’s built-in hearing-device settings. These accounts show how an app outage can disrupt everyday hearing aid use without disabling the devices themselves.

Audiologist Laura Pratesi, AuD, of Citrus Hearing Clinic in Clermont, Fla, posted this quick YouTube update with helpful tips for users experiencing difficulties.

Over the past several years, the hearing industry has experienced cybersecurity incidents with significant operational and financial consequences. In September 2019, a ransomware attack forced Demant, the parent company of Oticon, to shut down IT systems across multiple locations and business units, disrupting production, orders, and repairs. Demant estimated that the incident reduced its 2019 operating profit by DKK 550 million—roughly US$80 million at the time—after insurance coverage. More recently, WSA disclosed a July 2024 breach involving the local retail IT system serving its Bloomhearing stores in Australia and New Zealand, which also stored data related to retail operations in Hong Kong and Singapore. WSA said the incident temporarily disrupted operations in some markets and exposed patient and employee personal data to unauthorized access, although other company systems were unaffected.

Further information may become available as the investigation proceeds.