Subj : NHS at risk of being hit again as NCSC exec says IT systems "out
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Mon Jul 08 2024 12:15:05

NHS at risk of being hit again as NCSC exec says IT systems "out of date"

Date:
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:07:14 +0000

Description:
Thousands of appointments were recently postponed after hackers targeted the 
NHS.

FULL STORY
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The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is at risk of even more devastating 
cyberattacks, since parts of its IT infrastructure are outdated. 

Professor Ciaran Martin, the first CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre 
(NCSC) warned about the state of the NHS after a major cyberattack that 
struck the organization in June 2024. 

Overall, more than 6,000 appointments and procedures were postponed all over 
London because of the attack. Furthermore, on June 3, pathology services 
provider Synnovis suffered a ransomware attack that resulted in hundreds of 
gigabytes of sensitive patient data leaking online. A call to arms 

The ransomware attack left professor Martin horrified, but not completely 
surprised. He told the BBC : Ransomware attacks on healthcare are a major 
global problem. In parts of the NHS estate, its quite clear that some of the 
IT is out of date. 

Besides outdated technology, the inability to properly identify vulnerable 
points, as well as the lack of basic security practices, were the NHS biggest 
issues, he said. 

The attack targeted London NHS hospitals, disrupting services and 
compromising sensitive patient data, commented Adam Button, Field CTO at 
Elastic. The widespread disruption forced the hospitals to revert to manual 
operations and delay non-emergent procedures. This incident underscores the 
critical importance of robust cybersecurity protocols in safeguarding 
essential healthcare services and protecting patient information. 

As the repercussions continue, this serves as a wake-up call for all 
healthcare providers to enhance their defenses. Tools that can index, search, 
and analyze large volumes of data in real-time are invaluable in detecting 
and responding to cyber threats. 

Button also added that the Board cannot be the only one with awareness of 
actual threats and existing solutions - awareness needs to be widespread 
nationally. 

Properly equipping businesses on the frontline of what many regard as an 
ongoing cyberwar is paramount for the UKs cyber resilience and national 
security, he concluded. 

Via Evening Standard More from TechRadar Pro London NHS hospitals divert 
ambulances and cancel operations in the midst of cyberattack Here's a list of 
the best firewalls around today These are the best endpoint security tools 
right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/nhs-at-risk-of-being-hit-again-as-ncsc-
exec-says-it-systems-out-of-date


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