Ransomware attack on NHS in May 2024
A recent ransomware attack on a key technology service provider has caused significant disruptions in several major hospitals across London, rendering medical staff unable to access crucial pathology and other medical IT services.
The attack targeted a company called ‘Synnovis,’ resulting in numerous NHS hospitals losing access to essential healthcare services such as blood tests and imaging. Among the affected hospitals are Harefield Hospitals, King George Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal Brompton.
NHS England, in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department of Health and Social Care, is actively investigating the incident. Officials are confident in their ability to recover encrypted data from backups. However, the specific ransomware variant that targeted the NHS has yet to be disclosed. Reports indicate that the attackers infiltrated databases in May 2024, with the breach only being detected in the early hours of June 3, 2024.
Google Data Breach 2024 details
In a separate development, recent revelations regarding a data breach at Google have raised concerns about the security of user data stored by tech companies. A document uncovered by 404 Media reveals a series of security incidents experienced by Google between 2013 and 2019. These incidents include unauthorized data collection by various Google online services, errors made by staff and contractors, and vulnerabilities in products and third-party vendors, leading to fraudulent data access by hackers.
The document highlights troubling instances such as the collection of audio files of children speaking via Alexa, retention of users’ deleted watch history on YouTube, and transcription of license plates captured in Google Street View images.
In response to the leak, Alphabet Inc.’s subsidiary, Google, has swiftly issued a statement. They assert that over the past six years, the company has implemented numerous security measures to protect users’ data. Google deems the latest revelations as unfounded and calls for a thorough investigation into the matter.
