Is Microsoft to blame for the NHS cyber chaos?

ALTHOUGH I can see why Microsoft is blamed for the NHS debacle (Letters), it did give two years’ notice that its XP operating system would no longer be updated. The incompetency and naivety of the NHS trusts and their bosses shows a serious lack of common sense when dealing with public services. I am not supporting Microsoft, but the NHS clearly did and does not understand the nature of online security risks, especially when handling other people’s data. Microsoft replaced XP and stopped updates in 2015 because it could not compete with the technology now being produced, so even if it did continue to update XP, it would still be vulnerable. NHS bosses will always blame third parties for their incompetence — in this case, computer security in GP surgeries and hospitals. The NHS has form — it wastes money on IT schemes and then misses the obvious everyday security risks of which they should be aware in today’s world.

RON STOVELL, Maldon, Essex.

SUPPOSE you bought a new car direct from the manufacturer and after a few years they said: ‘Sorry, you don’t own the operating system, and if you don’t give us lots more money, your car will crash.’ Would that be acceptable? Of course not.

SIMON CAMPBELL, Glasgow. IT SEEMS that not only is the NHS still using Microsoft XP, but also that it received update patches but didn’t apply them immediately! I am not a computer expert, but have been involved with computational work since 1955. I have had one minor virus attack (which I corrected myself) on one computer. The answer is to have good security software, regularly updated — quite straightforward. MARK LADD, Bramshott, Surrey.