A major cyber-attack on one of the most sensitive and prestigious institutions in the UK has shown how much damage hackers can do after 300 million private and confidential health records were accessed. The attack, attributed to Russia, has implications far beyond the UK and will likely chill the blood of major organisations around the world.
The UK’s public National Health Service (NHS) was targeted via a private blood testing firm called Synnovis. The hack accessed hundreds of millions of health records.
Secretly HIV positive? A cancer diagnosis being kept quiet? An unknown alcohol addiction? All that data was stolen by a Russian group of cybercriminals known as Qilin.
The Guardian reported that at least seven hospitals managed by two NHS trusts were affected. After a $50mn ransom demand was refused, Qilin published the records on the dark web. It included patients’ names, their addresses, and their ailments. Delays over access to vital information needed for procedures resulted in the cancellation of 1,134 scheduled operations for cancer and organ transplant patients and the postponement of 2,194 outpatient appointments within days of the attack.
The repercussions are far from over. More now need to be retested. Some samples have been lost. Others no longer suitable for processing. Medics are scrambling, because patients’ lives may be at risk. The state-owned NHS has suffered reputational damage, but such are its burdens that this will simply be another cut. The service is under severe financial pressure; top doctors and nurses are leaving, and staff vacancy levels are up to 20%.
Pointing to Russia
By refusing to pay the ransom demand, Britain has set a precedent for the cyber gangs, many of which operate out of Russia or the former Soviet states. British authorities have thwarted attacks by the Russian group LockBit, the world’s largest ransomware gang, with help from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Europol, and other international police agencies.
