UPDATE: Ransom Attack On Irish Health Service Continues

Ireland's health service operator (HSE) has shut down all its IT systems to protect them from a significant ransomware attack.  This took-down the diagnostic services and disrupted their COVID-19 testing.

It has also meant that a lot of hospitals had to cancel medical appointments. Cyber security experts warned that it could be weeks before the systems return to normal.

The HSE has said that Covid-19 test results and contact tracing services have been successfully restored to normal. 

An international cyber crime gang is believed to be  behind the attack and Ireland's minister responsible for e-government Ossian Smyth describes it as possibly the most significant cyber crime attempt against the Irish state. Speaking on broadcaster RTÉ, Ossian Smyth said the attack "goes right to the core of the health system".

Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Micheál Martin said that he had consulted with cyber security experts and that the state would not be paying a ransom. 

He said it would "take some days" to assess its impact. "What's important is people cooperate with the HSE," Martin said,  adding that emergency services remain open, and the vaccine programme continues uninterrupted. Earlier, a HSE spokesman confirmed a ransom had been demanded and said it would not be paid in line with state policy.  

Health service IT systems could take days to return to normal after being shutdown following what a Government Minister described as “possibly the most significant cyber crime attack on the Irish State” ever. 

Meanwhile, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the ransomware attack on the HSE will impede the ability of the health service to organise effective testing and to measure the total number of cases.

HSE Live:    Irish Times:        Reuters:     BBC:      Digital Heath Net:     Irish Examiner: 

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