NHS cyber attack: Sensitive data stolen from blood test provider by criminal group 'published online'
More than 1,100 planned operations and 2,100 outpatient appointments have had to be postponed due to the data theft, according to the NHS.
Friday 21 June 2024 16:14, UK
Sensitive data stolen from an NHS provider in a cyber attack has apparently been published online.
NHS England says a criminal group claims it has released patient information hacked from Synnovis, which provides pathology services on blood tests.
Synnovis, which provides services primarily in southeast London, was the victim of a ransomware attack, understood to be carried out by Russian group Qilin, on 3 June.
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In a statement on Friday morning, NHS England said: "NHS England has been made aware that the cyber criminal group published data last night which they are claiming belongs to Synnovis and was stolen as part of this attack.
"We understand that people may be concerned by this and we are continuing to work with Synnovis, the National Cyber Security Centre and other partners to determine the content of the published files as quickly as possible.
"This includes whether it is data extracted from the Synnovis system, and if so whether it relates to NHS patients.
"As more information becomes available through Synnovis' full investigation, the NHS will continue to update patients and the public."
Sky News understands NHS England is setting up a helpline for patients who are worried about their details being published following the cyber attack.
Some people waiting on blood test results will need to re-test, as unprocessed samples in Synnovis labs are now too old to analyse.
The NHS is working with the company to identify samples affected and are in the process of informing patients.
The cyber criminal group shared almost 400GB of data - including patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers and descriptions of blood tests - on their darknet site and Telegram channel, the BBC said.
Spreadsheets containing financial arrangements between hospitals and GP services and Synnovis were also published, the BBC reported.
The National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre are working to verify the data - but the NHS has warned investigations of this nature can take weeks.
Synnovis said in a statement on Friday morning: "We know how worrying this development may be for many people. We are taking it very seriously and an analysis of this data is already under way."
More than 320 planned operations and 1,294 outpatient appointments were postponed at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust between 10 and 16 June, the second week after the attack.
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Since the first week after the attack (3 to 9 June), the number of rearranged planned operations has gone down by 494, but a further 394 outpatient appointments have been missed.
So far, the data theft has led to more than 1,100 planned operations and 2,100 outpatient appointments being postponed, according to NHS England London figures.
It has also meant the NHS cannot use some of its systems essential to run blood tests in south-east London.
Urgent care centres, maternity departments and A&E have remained available as usual, though there may be delays if patients require blood tests.