Scottish Health Service Patient Data Hacked & Stolen
The Scottish
NHS has been targeted in a "focused and ongoing" cyber attack that may have compromised patient data.
NHS services in Dumfries & Galloway have been the target of this focused and on-going cyber attack.
NHS Scotland said it was working with Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Scottish government to handle the attack on IT systems.
Staff have been warned the digital criminals may have already accessed private details of both patients and staff.
Dumfries and Galloway is the southernmost region of Scotland, sharing a border with northwestern England. It has a population of just under 150,000 people, almost all of whom are likely to be users of the country’s universal National Health Service.
It warned that hackers could have acquired a "significant quantity" of patient and staff data.
The health board said there services could be disruption as a result of the hacking incident.
Cyber security agencies are investigating what data could have been accessed.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway said in a statement: "Breach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter.
"We are encouraging everyone, staff and public, to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them."
If data that could identify patients and staff has indeed been lost in the NHS Dumfries and Galloway attack, the region could find itself facing punitive action from the Information Commissioner's Office.
“Breach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter. We are encouraging everyone, staff and public, to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them,” says the NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
Patients or staff in such a situation have been urged to contact Police Scotland.
Police Scotland said its investigation into the incident was ongoing and the NCSC guidance is that ransoms should not be paid under any circumstances, especially in the public sector.
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