Chinese state accused of hacking NHS hospitals
An urgent NHS investigation has been launched into data breaches at University College Hospital and University Hospital Southampton, which took place earlier this month.
Cyber security experts at intelligence firm EclecticIQ have said that the hackers responsible are linked to a group in China tasked with intelligence gathering
They discovered that the group has conducted a string of attacks across the world, potentially targeting hospitals, local authorities and businesses in countries such as Japan, Germany and the US.
Cody Barrow, chief executive of EclecticIQ and a former US intelligence official, said it had discovered 'credible and urgent indicators' that the NHS hospitals had been 'compromised by cyber attackers'.
He said his firm had evidence that 'malicious actors' had breached both hospitals by exploiting software provided by tech company Ivanti, which is used to manage mobile devices connected to a broader network.
Earlier this month, Ivanti confirmed that it had uncovered a 'very limited number of customers whose solution has been exploited'.
NHS England said there was 'currently no evidence to suggest patient data has been accessed' and that no frontline services had been affected.
A spokesman said: 'We are currently investigating this potential incident with cyber security partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre, and the trusts mentioned.'
However, a spokesman for University College Hospital told Digital Health News that some staff mobile phone numbers may have been stolen.
Affected employees are now being contacted.
EclecticIQ said it had uncovered data that suggested the hacks had originated in China, linked to a group it believed was 'targeting high-value individuals within public institutions, including government agencies, or in the private sector'.
The news comes after John Healey, the Defence Secretary, announced plans to spend more than £1bn on cyber defence and artificial intelligence.
This will include a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, which will seek to fight enemies online.
It is not the first time that the NHS has been targeted by cyber attackers.
In 2017, a cyber attack originating from North Korea devastated NHS IT systems and cost tens of millions of pounds.
Last year, Synnovis, a business that provided diagnostic services to the NHS, was also hacked, disrupting more than 10,000 appointments and more than 1,700 elective procedures.
NHS data has revealed it also led to at least two cases of 'severe' patient harm, meaning long-term or permanent health damage. The incident cost Synnovis more than £32m.
Meanwhile, an NHS hospital trust on the Wirral revealed that a hack in November led to missed cancer waiting list targets, while also costing up to £3m.
The latest incident comes amid a spree of attacks against major British companies, with Marks & Spencer and Co-op recently compromised by cyber criminals.
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