South Africa’s national health lab hit with ransomware attack amid mpox outbreak

South Africa’s National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is experiencing a ransomware attack, which is affecting lab result dissemination. The organization, which operates 265 labs countrywide, is dealing with an outbreak of mpox (monkeypox). The attack, which began on a Saturday, resulted in hackers deleting parts of the system, including backup servers. The organization has not disclosed whether it will pay any ransom or which group is behind the attack. Despite the attack, labs are still functioning, though more urgent results are now communicated by phone.