Cybersecurity

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/37703162

Archived

[...]

A patient’s death has been officially connected to a cyber attack carried out by the Qilin ransomware group that crippled pathology services at several major NHS hospitals in London last year. The cyber attack on Synnovis, a key pathology provider, caused widespread disruption to vital diagnostic services, delaying critical blood test results and impacting patient care significantly.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that a patient unexpectedly died during the cyber-incident. A spokesperson for the trust revealed that a detailed review of the patient’s care found multiple contributing factors, including “a long wait for a blood test result due to the cyber attack impacting pathology services at the time.”

The findings of this safety investigation have been shared with the patient’s family. Synnovis CEO, Mark Dollar, expressed deep sadness, stating, “Our hearts go out to the family involved.”

[...]

The attack occurred on June 3, 2024, targeting Synnovis, which provides diagnostics, testing, and digital pathology in southeast London. This incident brought blood testing across multiple NHS trusts, including King’s College, Guy’s and St Thomas’, and Lewisham and Greenwich hospitals, along with GP practices, to a halt.

The disruption was extensive, affecting more than 10,000 outpatient appointments and leading to the postponement of 1,710 operations at King’s College and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trusts.

[...]