Hack That Crippled UK Hospitals Highlights Growing Threat to NHS

Cybercrime groups have been increasingly targeting the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) trusts and partners, resulting in exposure of sensitive data and disruption of clinical services. The attacks exploit underfunded cybersecurity budgets and systems containing a wealth of national health data. In the US, ransomware attacks on healthcare providers are also common. This situation underscores the challenge of policing not just the security of healthcare organizations, but also that of major suppliers. Such attacks pose significant risk to patient safety and continuity of care.