Yahoo News NHS Dumfries and Galloway apologises for "anxiety" caused by cyber attack
The health board has apologised for the “anxiety” caused after hackers gained access to confidential medical records.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway was the subject of a cyber attack, which began in February and was made public in the middle of March.
INC Ransom gained access to “a very large amount of patient and staff” data and have released a “proof pack” of records related to six patients to show they have the information.
A health board statement said the patients had been contacted and it was hard to confirm what data the hackers had downloaded – or address it on an individual basis – due to the “scale and breadth of information” they could access.
It added: “We encourage everyone to remain on their guard for anyone trying to access their data, or for approaches by anyone claiming to possess NHS data relating to them or anyone else. All such incidents should be reported to Police Scotland by calling 111.
“A robust response has been mounted by the health board’s IT teams, working with advice provided by experts such as the National Cyber Security Centre. Actions have been taken to address any further risk of incursion and practical testing will shortly take place before consideration of any moves to lift remaining limitations on staff accessibility to IT systems.
“We are aware of expectations around transparency in relation to the cyber attack, but would highlight once again that this remains a live and very serious criminal matter, and a situation where ensuring the security of systems is paramount.
“We are extremely sorry for the anxiety which has been caused, and have sought to be as open as possible while adhering to the very explicit guidance we have received from Police Scotland and partner agencies, and being very mindful of security considerations.”
