North Korea ‘behind cyber attack on NHS’
NORTH Korea was yesterday blamed for a cyber attack on NHS computer systems.
The secretive communist state has been widely identified within security circles as the source of the global WannaCry attack in May.
Yesterday Home Office Minister Ben Wallace said: “We believe North Korea was the state involved in this attack. I can’t go into detailed intelligence, but it is widely believed in the community and a number of countries that North Korea took this role.”
Mr Wallace suggested the attack was motivated by North Korea’s need for funds.
The rogue state, led by dictator Kim Jong-un, is operating under increasingly tough economic sanctions imposed as punishment for testing long-range missiles.
The cyber attack in May infected and locked more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries in a matter of days.
Ransom payments were demanded for letting users back into their systems.
The attack on the NHS saw the cancellation of 20,000 appointments, including 139 potential cancer referrals, and five hospitals had to turn ambulances away.
Mr Wallace spoke after the National Audit Office yesterday published a scathing report. It claimed affected computers at 81 English health trusts and nearly 600 GP surgeries could have been prevented had “basic IT security” measures been taken.
NAO chief Sir Amyas Morse called on the NHS and the Department of Health to “get their act together”.