According to the former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, a Russian cybercriminal group is responsible for a ransomware attack that disrupted operations and testing at a major NHS hospital in London.
The attack on pathology services firm Synovis resulted in a significant capacity impairment and was deemed a very serious incident.
Following the attack, the affected hospital declared a critical situation, halted operations and tests, and was unable to conduct blood transfusions.
A memo sent to NHS staff at multiple London hospitals and primary care services described the incident as a “major IT incident”.
During a BBC Radio 4 interview, Ciarán Martin confirmed that a group of Russian cybercriminals known as Kirin was behind the Synovis attack. These groups operate within Russia, targeting organizations globally for financial gain.
The cybercriminals, who have a history of attacks on various entities, inadvertently caused severe disruption to primary care with their ransomware attack.
While the government’s policy is to refrain from paying ransoms, companies affected by such attacks have the option to do so.
The National Cyber Security Centre is collaborating with NHS authorities to investigate the repercussions of the cyber attack.
Synovis has reported the incident to the police and the Information Commissioner.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins assured that patient safety is the top priority and efforts are underway to resume services safely.
Synovis CEO Mark Darragh mentioned that a taskforce of Synovis and NHS IT experts is evaluating the impact and necessary measures.
It may take “weeks rather than days” to receive pathology results due to the severity of the attack, as per a senior source cited by the Health Service Journal.
Source: www.theguardian.com
