NHS Cyber Attack Affects Blood Tests and Doners
On the 3rd of June Synnovis a pathology lab which processes blood on behalf of the NHS was a victim of a cyber attack thought to have been the work of Qilin.
What Happened?
The pathology lab which processes on behalf of a number of NHS organisations mostly in the south-east of London suffered a major ransomware attack. It is believed that the hack was done by the work of Qilin which is a group of hackers from Russia which may have published some stolen internal data but the national crime agency have not been able to verify this yet.
The Effect
This attack has meant that the NHS can not use some of its systems which run blood test in the south-east of London. These tests are vital for a wide range of treatments, not only did it affect blood test but it caused disruption in major areas such as transplant surgeries, blood transfusions and potential leaks in patients confidential files.
Has Any Data Been Stolen ?
National cyber security centre are working to verify the data that has been published by the criminals but these files are not simple uploads so there is a lengthy investigation to be held. The NHS ill keep you up dated if your data has been compromised.
The motivation behind this attack
It is rumoured that this attack was not just to extort money but the primary reason for the attack was to disable the system. Just days before the attack the NHS spent £3m on two contracts with KPMG and Deloitte to provide a cyber incident report and hopefully prevent any future attacks.
An Urgent Appeal for Blood Donations
This attack meant that all of the affected hospitals couldn’t match the blood to the patients as quickly as usual which in tern created a backlog which lead to some vital operations being cancelled. Blood has only got a shelf life of 35 days so the NHS has created an urgent appeal to get some more blood preferably O-positive and O-negative blood as this is the most common and can be given to anyone. During the aftermath of the disruption caused by the ransomware attack more units of this blood will be required in order to support the frontline staff and to keep services running safely for local patients.
More information and helpful links
Since this cyber attack there will be a lot more updates on what is to come on the NHS Digital website which can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/news/synnovis-cyber-incident
Appointments will not be cancelled however there might be some delays on getting blood tests back and you may be required to give more blood if your previous sample has expired due to the delay. There are no signs that these criminals have got into the email system from the NHS but remember to report any suspicious emails or text to report@phishing.gov.uk or texts to 7726. If you have got any concerns or are worried about this then be sure call the incident helpline on 03458778967.
What does this mean for my business ?
Unless your business is directly linked to the NHS I would not be worried but when an attack like this happens it is an important reminder to keep on top of your cyber security service. If you would like advice from us then check out our IT services page here: https://directcomputers.co.uk/pages/cyber-security-services
For a business a cyber attack can be very damaging not just for the finical side but also your reputation as a business can be put at risk. Investing in cyber security is a must for you business in order to prevent down-town and to avoid any legal ramifications if your business handles sensitive data. Maintain your customers trust, create a response plan and be well-prepared in case an event like this happens to your business.