HACKERS HOLD NHS TO RANSOM
Ops axed, A&Es closed as IT systems are shut down in global cyber attack
Operations axed and A&Es closed as IT systems are disrupted CASUALTY units were forced to shut as the NHS was plunged into chaos yesterday by a global cyber attack.
Computer files were locked by hackers, and health service staff were told to pay a ransom within seven days or everything on their systems would be deleted.
Hospitals had to divert ambulances carrying emergency patients and operations planned for months were axed.
It is the biggest cyber attack of its kind ever. NHS England called it a “major incident which is still ongoing”.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the attack was a “real worry for patients”.
Officials at intelligence agency GCHQ were last night investigating the devas- tating strike that was thought to have affected thousands of patients across England and Scotland. The attack significantly hit routine scans and appointments which will cost the NHS millions to reschedule. A large range of IT services were affected, including X-rays, pathology test results and bleep systems. It is believed that worried medics in as many as 40 NHS organisations were completely unable to access vital patient data or documents. Staff were forced to revert to pen and paper and use their own mobiles because the attack also hit NHS telephones. Patients were affected in places such as London, Berks, Cumbria, Lancs, Herts, Essex, Notts, Staffs, Northumberland, Birmingham, Manchester, Hants and Glasgow.
Wheelchair-bound Richard Harvey, 50, waited for hours for a procedure that was eventually postponed. He had fasted all day and limited his water intake.
Richard said outside the Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel, East London: “At ten to five I said to a nurse ‘this is a bit late for an operation’ and she said ‘there’s been a cyber attack’. She went away and came back and said that was it. I was very disappointed. I had been waiting all day.”
Hackers scrambled computer data using ransomware. Staff received warnings on their screens demanding payments of $300 (£230) via money transfer service bitcoin before being allowed access again. Last night it was not known who was behind the attack which also affected GP surgeries.
A senior NHS source said the virus is usually covertly installed on computers – hidden in innocentlooking emails containing links, which users were tricked into opening. A message appearing on an NHS computer said: “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!” Maybe you are looking for a way to recover your files, but do not waste your time.” Dr Chris Mimnagh, who works at a medical centre in Liverpool, said the attack had made their job impossible. He
idea what drugs people are on or the allergies they have DR EMMA FARDON ON THE CHAOS CAUSED YESTERDAY
said: “Our entire patient record is accessed through the computer... blood results, history, medicines.” Dr Emma Fardon, a GP in Dundee, said: “We can’t access any patient records.
“We have no idea what drugs people are on or the allergies they have. We can’t access the appointments system.” The Patients’ Association accused the NHS of failing to learn from previous attacks. Consultants are being offered extra cash to work more shifts to cope with the effects of the attack. A text to locum doctors in Manchester said bosses anticipated “carnage”.
Dr Anne Rainsberry, NHS incident director at NHS England, said: “We’d like to reassure patients if they need the NHS and it’s an emergency they should visit A&E... in the same way as they normally would. More widely we ask people to use the NHS wisely while we deal with this major incident which is still ongoing.” Theresa May said the NHS was not specifically targeted. She added: “We are not aware of any evidence that patient data has been compromised.” The NHS in Wales said it had a separate IT system and had not been affected. More than 70 countries were said to have been affected including the US. Russia is thought to have been worst hit, while Spain’s mobile phone network was brought down. Experts say the malicious software exploited a vulnerability found and developed by the National Security Agency in the US. A group calling itself the Shadow Brokers began leaking stolen NSA hacking tools online last year. In March, Microsoft rolled out a patch to combat the problem, but many organisations – including hospitals – had not yet updated their systems.