November 29, 2024 at 07:36AM
A ransomware attack has targeted Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, with the gang INC Ransom claiming to have stolen and leaked sensitive patient data. The incident is separate from an ongoing cyber issue at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, and Alder Hey continues to operate normally.
**Meeting Takeaways: Ransomware Attack on NHS Hospitals**
1. **Current Incident**: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are reportedly under attack by the ransomware group INC Ransom, which claims to have stolen sensitive data.
2. **Nature of Data Compromised**: The allegedly stolen data includes:
– Full names and addresses of patients and donors.
– Donation amounts to the hospitals.
– Patients’ medical reports, including unique hospital numbers and dates of birth.
– Financial documents.
3. **Timeline of Data**: The data reportedly dates back to 2018 and extends to 2024.
4. **Hospital’s Response**: Alder Hey has issued a statement acknowledging the incident and is actively working with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and partner organizations to verify the data and secure systems. They emphasized taking the situation seriously in accordance with law enforcement advice and statutory duties concerning patient data.
5. **Operational Status**: Unlike the neighboring Wirral University Teaching Hospital, which is experiencing severe disruption, Alder Hey has confirmed that its services are operating normally, and no scheduled appointments or procedures have been affected.
6. **Ransomware Context**: This incident is noted as part of a worrying trend of ransomware attacks on NHS organizations, with INC Ransom having previously targeted NHS Dumfries and Galloway, where they stole data from 150,000 individuals.
7. **Geographical Anomaly**: The simultaneous occurrences of attacks on geographically linked NHS trusts are rare, raising concerns about coordinated cyber threats in the healthcare sector.
8. **Ongoing Investigations**: Efforts are underway by Alder Hey and law enforcement to assess the impact and secure systems against further attacks.
**Next Steps**: Monitor updates from Alder Hey and the NCA for further developments regarding this cybersecurity threat and any potential implications for patient data security and hospital operations.