A cyberattack by a Russian hacker group named Qilin has resulted in the publication of sensitive data from NHS provider Synnovis. The attack, which occurred on June 3, has disrupted services at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, postponing over 1,100 operations and 2,100 outpatient appointments.
Qilin released nearly 400GB of data, including patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers, and blood test descriptions, on the dark web. NHS England and Synnovis are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to assess the authenticity of the published data. There is no confirmation if blood test results are included.
Synnovis is a pathology laboratory that processes blood tests for NHS organizations. The hackers reportedly demanded a ransom in Bitcoin, which was not paid, resulting in the data leak. Authorities urge against paying ransoms as it may not guarantee the safe return of data and could encourage further criminal activity.
The NHS has issued statements to inform and update the public about the incident. The cyberattack has caused significant disruption in routine medical services, affecting the ability of GPs in southeast London to carry out blood tests. The situation remains under investigation.