NHS health board breach may include patient data

Attackers have breached NHS Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway health board – the public organization operating hospitals – possibly obtaining sensitive patient data.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway, operating in the south of Scotland, said the organization was the target of an ongoing cyberattack on Friday. The healthcare provider advised customers to expect service disruptions.

“During these incursions into our systems, there’s a risk that hackers have been able to acquire a significant quantity of data,” reads NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s statement.

The organization has enacted security protocols and is working closely with the Scottish police and the UK’s National Cyber Security Center. The healthcare provider is trying to assess what type of data attackers may have accessed.

“Breach of confidential data is an incredibly serious matter. We are encouraging everyone, staff, and public, to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them,” the statement said.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway operates a dozen hospitals serving nearly 150,000 people in Scotland. The board serves one of fourteen regions of NHS Scotland, a publicly funded healthcare system in Scotland, which is one of the four systems that make up the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).