Cyber Attack Affects Three Additional Merseyside Hospitals

Cyber attackers have targeted three additional hospitals in Merseyside. Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that it, along with Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital, experienced an impact from the incident on Thursday. The hospital issued a warning that the perpetrators might release the data before the institution had sufficient time to conduct an investigation. This incident occurred subsequent to a previous targeting of Wirral’s Arrowe Park hospital. On 25 November, Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust had declared a major incident, leading to extended A&E waiting times and appointment cancellations for patients. The Alder Hey trust stated that its investigation to ascertain which data had been unlawfully acquired remained “still ongoing”. The trust commented: “We are continuing to take this issue very seriously while investigations continue into whether the attacker has obtained confidential data.” It added that “As soon as we are able to update on the impact to people’s data, we will provide a further update.” The trust reported that screenshots of data, which the attackers asserted they had obtained, were published online on Thursday. The trust confirmed it had subsequently secured its systems to prevent attackers from maintaining access. The hospital indicated that services were not impacted. Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust indicated it was still engaged in the process of restoring certain services. Officials stated that the primary clinical system was undergoing restoration and that the incident’s classification had been downgraded to a “business continuity incident.” A hospital spokesperson remarked: “Some services will continue to be affected this week as systems are restored.” They further stated: “Emergency treatment is being prioritised but there are still likely to be longer than usual waiting times in our emergency department and assessment areas.” The hospital has requested that individuals with outpatient appointments attend their scheduled appointments as planned. They reiterated their appeal for individuals to only visit the emergency department for genuine emergencies. For non-urgent health concerns, people were advised to utilize NHS 111, walk-in centres, urgent treatment centres, GPs, or pharmacies. A spokesperson for Merseyside Police confirmed their collaboration with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre “to provide the necessary support and assistance.”