Medicine

MPs: A Year After WannaCry, NHS Must Take 'Urgent' Security Action

April 19, 2018 02:31·
Hackers were able to exploit security flaws in NHS systems shutting down computer networks

Hackers were able to exploit security flaws in NHS systems shutting down computer networks

"There is much important work to do and we urge the DHSC to provide us with an update by the end of June".

The Public Accounts Committee has produced a report on the effect of the WannaCry ransomware attack, which disrupted around 80 NHS trusts and 603 NHS organisations - including 595 GP practices - in May past year.

Cyber security investment can not be properly targeted unless this information is collected and understood.

"The Department accepts that cyber-attacks are now a fact of life and that the NHS will never be completely safe from them", the report found.

However, these plans have yet to be implemented or even agreed upon as the Department of Health does not know how much it will cost or when these recommendations will be implemented.

Lessons "had been learnt" since the attack on May 12 2017, which caused the cancellation of almost 20,000 hospital appointments and operations with 80 of 236 NHS trusts across England suffering disruption, the watchdog concluded.

The PAC's report said the DHSC and NHS bodies had been "unprepared" for WannaCry, which affected 80 out of 236 NHS trusts in England and another 603 NHS bodies, including 595 GP practices.

Following the WannaCry attack, the report said, the NHS has assessed the cyber security level of 200 trusts.

"Nearly one year on from the WannaCry cyber attack, it is clear that there is a need for constant vigilance within the NHS to ensure that patient data and vital systems are protected", said techUK's head of programme for Cyber and National Security, Talal Rajab.

PUBG's Savage Map Beta Begins Today
To ensure fair gameplay, players on emulators will only be matched with one another and not with players on mobile devices. The map won't get a full release for "a few more months", but PUBG Corp. promises more testing phases before then.

Japan March Trade Surplus Y797.3 Billion
President Donald Trump, who is concerned about the U.S. trade deficits, not only with China but also with Japan, analysts said. Japan's exports to the United Sates rose 0.2 percent year-on-year, much slower than a 4.3 percent annual increase in February.

Vident Investment Advisory LLC Acquires 2481 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc (XEL)
It worsened, as 85 investors sold AIG shares while 290 reduced holdings. 1832 Asset Mgmt LP has invested 0.02% in CAE Inc. The company's Average Earnings Estimate for the Current Fiscal quarter is $0.48, according to consensus of 6 analysts.

"But the impact on patients and the service more generally could have been far worse".

PAC chair Meg Hillier said: "The extensive disruption caused by WannaCry laid bare serious vulnerabilities in the cyber security and response plans of the NHS".

She said it was a "foretaste of the devastation that could be wrought by a more malicious and sophisticated attack", adding: 'When it comes, the United Kingdom must be ready'.

"Government must get a grip on the vulnerabilities of and challenges facing local organisations, as well as the financial implications of WannaCry and future attacks across the NHS", she said, highlighting that WannaCry should be seen as "a foretaste of the devastation that could be wrought by a more malicious and sophisticated attack".

A DHSC spokesperson said: "Every part of the NHS must be clear that it has learned the lessons of Wannacry".

The government still does not have an estimate of the financial impact of the WannaCry attack on the NHS, the report stated, which is impeding the ability to target cybersecurity investments. When this comes, the United Kingdom must be ready, she argued. The Department of Health told the committee that having a single organisation at the centre of government to work on cyber-security was very helpful.

The PAC has also given the department the same deadline to set out how it plans to shore up the NHS's cyber defences in anticipation of another attack against its systems.

And Tony Pepper, CEO of Egress, data security specialists who work with a number of NHS bodies, called it deeply concerning that little progress has been made to improve IT security in healthcare.

Health minister Lord O'Shaughnessy said the Government was investing over £60million to address key weaknesses and plan to spend a further £150m over the next two years.

Recommended News

Join The Conversation

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.