Cyber-attack on Irish health service ‘catastrophic’

The hacking of the Republic of Ireland’s health service, described as ‘catastrophic’ by Health Service Executive (HSE) chief Paul Reid, has led to an 80% drop in appointments in some areas and the cancellation of outpatient services. The attack has compromised over 2,000 health service systems and more than 4,500 servers, with the remedial investigation expected to take weeks. A helpline has been created for anyone who fears their health information may be published online.