Cyberattack Death Confirmed in NHS Data Breach
A tragic death has been directly linked to a cyberattack that crippled crucial NHS services last year. This marks a grim milestone in the fallout from the breach, raising serious questions about digital security and patient safety within the healthcare system.
Patient Death Linked to Attack
The King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has verified the death of a patient due to the cyberattack. The incident investigation revealed contributing factors. These included a prolonged wait for blood test results. The attack disrupted pathology services at the time.
“One patient sadly died unexpectedly during the cyber attack,”
—A spokesperson, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The IT firm Synnovis, a significant provider of blood test services in southeast London, was the target of a ransomware attack. The Russian group Qilin is believed to be behind the attack on June 3 last year.
The cyberattack also led to the cancellation of about 2,000 outpatient appointments. Moreover, it forced the postponement of over 1,000 operations, causing significant disruption for patients across several trusts. According to a recent report, the healthcare sector faces an average of 1,467 ransomware attacks per week (Statista, 2024).
Impact and Response
The affected hospitals were unable to conduct work related to transfusions or blood matching. This resulted in the use of universal O-type blood for all patients. This contributed to a national shortage of O-type blood supplies, according to NHS England.
Expert Commentary
Deryck Mitchelson, a former chief information security officer for NHS Scotland, now in a similar role at Check Point, weighed in on the attack. He stated that the death was not surprising.
“The NHS is critically reliant on a complex network of suppliers and service providers. But that means we are only ever as secure as the weakest link in the chain.
—Deryck Mitchelson, cyber security firm Check Point
Mitchelson added that the cyberattack was not a “faceless act” and that it targeted people. He emphasized that the loss of life should be taken seriously.
