Urgent: Investment In NHS Cybersecurity

A "massive" increase in spending is needed to prevent another "avoidable" cyber-attack on UK’s NHS computer systems, an expert has warned, following a ransomware attack hit 11 health boards in Scotland (pictured), as well as many other organisations worldwide.

Prof Bill Buchanan said the attack should act as a "wake-up call" to the government and health service. And he warned the NHS faced bigger threats, such as a large-scale power outage, that could cause loss of life.

Holyrood's health committee heard the WannaCry virus found its way into Scottish NHS systems either through their connection with the NHS England network or through the Internet.

It was able to spread through computers that were vulnerable through a combination of their use of a particular piece of software that shares information between devices, a particular network firewall configuration and the fact they had not been upgraded or "patched up" to the latest version of Microsoft software.

The unprecedented attack, which hit scores of countries, impacted on acute hospital sites in Lanarkshire as well as GP surgeries, dental practices and other primary care centres around Scotland. Health Secretary Shona Robison told the committee that swift action and co-ordination by the NHS in Scotland had limited the impact of the ransomware attack on its network.

But Prof Buchanan, from the Cyber Academy at Edinburgh Napier University, said the penetration of the virus "was avoidable" and there was no excuse for the patch or upgrade not having been carried out. He agreed with Green MSP Alison Johnstone that the incident should act as a "wake-up call" and called for a review of health and social care IT infrastructure.
He said: "This was a critical patch, critical is the highest level. If you want to use something from Spinal Tap, this was an 11 out of 10 in terms of its threat.
"So it should have been patched, it was well known and it was a race for the industry to catch up with the patch before those with the skills to make something malicious turned their evil hands to something.
"I think we got out of this very well but it could happen that it would be much more severe."
He added: "Our systems are legacy and we need to admit that.
"I think we need a massive increase in spending not just on computers, but in really looking at healthcare services and how we provide that to the citizen."

Andy Robertson, director of IT at NHS National Services Scotland, said the health service had measures in place to protect against these types of threats.

He pointed out that the virus had infiltrated only 1% of NHS Scotland's computers, amounting to some 1,500 devices.
"We think our defences worked fairly well in terms of the impact it had on the health service and we think where we were breached we were able to recover as per our recovery plans," he said.
He agreed that extra investment was needed, suggesting a further £15m a year on top of the £100m currently spent on centrally-managed IT programmes in the NHS.

That amount was described as a "sticking plaster" by Prof Buchanan, who said: "I think you need to add zero and then maybe another zero."

BBC

You Might Also Read:

NHS Cyberattack Was 'launched from N. Korea':

Healthcare Sector Accounts For 43% Of UK Data Breaches:

How Cybercrime Affects The Healthcare Industry:

 

 

« Petya Cyber Attack Update
App Or Browser: Which Is Safer For Online Banking? »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Gartner insights into How to Select the Right ZTNA offering. Download this FREE report for a limited time only.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC - the first, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade information security solution for compliance and risk management - offers businesses efficient control tracking, testing, and enforcement.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Intruder

Intruder

Intruder is a cloud-based vulnerability scanner that finds cyber security weaknesses in your digital infrastructure, to avoid costly data breaches.

LogicManager

LogicManager

LogicManager offer a complete set of IT governance, risk and compliance software solutions and advisory services.

I-Tracing

I-Tracing

I-TRACING are experts in IT security, specialized in legal compliance of information systems, security of information systems, and the collection of digital evidence and traces.

Cybeats Technologies

Cybeats Technologies

Cybeats delivers an integrated security platform designed to secure and protect high-valued connected devices.

MicroEJ

MicroEJ

MicroEJ is a software vendor of cost-driven solutions for embedded and IoT devices.

MSPAlliance

MSPAlliance

MSPAlliance is the world’s largest industry association and certification body for cloud computing and managed service professionals.

SOFTwarfare

SOFTwarfare

SOFTwarfare deliver high-quality, reliable and secure enterprise application integrations through RESTful APIs for Cyber, Ops & Dev.

Resilience Cyber Insurance Solutions

Resilience Cyber Insurance Solutions

Resilience Cyber Insurance combines insurance expertise with cybersecurity and data talent to deliver clear, effective solutions to protect you for the cyberrisks of today—and tomorrow.

Chainlink

Chainlink

Chainlink expands the capability of smart contracts by enabling access to real-world data and systems without sacrificing the security and reliability guarantees inherent to blockchain technology.

European Cyber Competence Network

European Cyber Competence Network

The purpose of the European Cyber Competence Network is to retain and develop the cybersecurity technological and industrial capacities of the EU necessary to secure its Digital Single Market.

Seadot Cybersecurity

Seadot Cybersecurity

Seadot offer cybersecurity services to organizations with a high demand for regulatory compliance and security.

Ascent Cyber

Ascent Cyber

Ascent Cyber provide simple and stress-free solutions to protect your business and its customers from the worries and costs of cybercrime.

AB Handshake

AB Handshake

AB Handshake offers a game-changing solution for telecom service providers that eliminates fraud on inbound and outbound voice traffic.

Plex IT

Plex IT

Plex IT provides managed IT services to organisations along with managed security services.

Cyber Unicorns

Cyber Unicorns

Cyber Unicorns is a cyber security consultancy created to help drive cyber security outcomes in the small to medium-sized business space.

ELK Analytics

ELK Analytics

ELK Analytics is a specialized Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) that focuses on endpoint security and monitoring & alerting for any type of structured or unstructured data.