Yes, patients at UK hospitals turned away at British hospitals. On Friday, A large cyber attack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England. Some of the post cyber-attack effects were, appointments canceled, phone lines down, and patients turned away.
The UK hospitals advised people with non-emergency conditions to stay away after the cyber-attack affected major parts of the country’s National Health Service.
NHS Organizations Hit By Ransomware Attacks
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Sixteen NHS organizations were hit by the ransomware attacks, while a large number of Spanish companies were also attacked. It is still not clear if the attacks were coordinated. Action Fraud, the UK’s central cyber-crime unit tweeted – “The NHS has experienced a major cyber attack, we are working with law enforcement and our advice will follow shortly!”
The National Cyber Security Center is investigating the case along with NHS Digital and the National Crime Agency.
“Please Do Not Attend Accident And Emergency Unless It’s An Emergency!”
According to BBC, hospitals in London, Central England, and North-West England all have been affected. Mid-Essex Clinical Commissioning Group tweeted “an IT issue affecting some NHS computer systems,” they advised people not to attend hospital only for real emergency.
Massive Ransomware Attack
Many pictures floating on the social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 worth of the online currency Bitcoin. It said, “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!”
The workers across the NHS sent warning emails from the health service’s IT teams, advising not to open or click on any suspicious attachments or links.
Spain’s National Cryptologic Center, said several Spanish companies had been targeted in ransomware cyber attack that affected the Windows operating system of employees’ computers. However, it did not mention which companies were targeted. But the telecommunications company Telefonica said it had spotted a cybersecurity incident that had affected computers of some employees.
How Does Ransomware Get Into A Computer?
When a person unintentionally downloads a file which looks like a normal attachment or web link, a ransomware gets onto the computer. Post the ransomware enters the computer the hacker can trigger the malware to freeze the computer. Further, it prompts the person to pay a ransom or lose all their files.
Why Are Hospitals Targeted?
The hackers understand the importance of critical digital records for treating patients, hence hospitals are a common target. Ransomware attacks have also been rising. According to an April report from Verizon Communications Inc, since 2016, the number of such attacks has increased by 50%. Such attacks account for a total of 72% of all the malware incidents involving the healthcare industry in 2016.
Ransomware attacks have also been rising. According to an April report from Verizon Communications Inc, since 2016, the number of such attacks has increased by 50%. Such attacks account for a total of 72% of all the malware incidents involving the healthcare industry in 2016. Chief executive officer of cyber-security company ZoneFox, Jamie Graves said: “The large-scale cyber-attack on our NHS today is a huge wake-up call”.
Chief executive officer of cyber-security company ZoneFox, Jamie Graves said: “The large-scale cyber-attack on our NHS today is a huge wake-up call”.
Date: May 15, 2017